Davie, Florida, September 30th, 2022:
The National Police Defense Foundation (NPDF) proudly announces that our Executive Director Joseph Occhipinti, received the prestigious law enforcement achievement award from one of America’s foremost law enforcement publications, The Blue Magazine, in Davie, Florida on September 30th, 2022. In attendance were noted leaders from the law enforcement community including former NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik, former Director of ICE, Tom Homan, Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke and legendary Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpio.
Director Occhipinti was honored for a lifetime of law enforcement achievements, the latest being the final completion of his long-awaited biography “FRAMED, I Never Stood A Chance” after 30 years in the making. This riveting memoir of illegal drugs, conspiracies and a corrupt justice system profiles Occhipinti’s life as a highly decorated special agent who investigated the murder of an NYPD police officer in 1988, which led to an investigation of a politically powerful drug cartel in New York City and certain politicians who protected it. In retribution, the cartel framed him on fabricated federal civil rights charges where there were no acts of police brutality, racial bias or corruption. This was one of the most shameful, landmark prosecutions in American history. It outraged the American public, as well as two American presidents. In January of 1993, President George H.W. Bush commuted his sentence and granted him “Executive Clemency” and on December 23, 2020, President Donald J. Trump granted him a “Full and Unconditional Pardon” with a personal apology for enduring his injustice.
The NPDF is grateful to The Blue Magazine for recognizing our Executive Director for his lifetime of achievements as both a dedicated federal agent and now an author, and we applaud them for their continued support of law enforcement nationwide.
Sgt. Michael Barry (ret)
Director of NPDF Operation Services
Visit www.npdf1.org or call 888-SAFE COP
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