Three from Long Island charged after Thruway stop Sunday, May 4, 2008
ROTTERDAM — Three people from Long Island face multiple charges including illegal drug and weapons possession following an incident Sunday morning when state troopers pulled over a vehicle on the New York State Thruway in the town of Rotterdam. Police stopped the vehicle for speeding at 8:40 a.m. Authorities said the car was being driven by Kelly Thomas, 26, of Hicksville. Thomas was issued a ticket for speeding. Two of the passengers in the car were also arrested after authorities allegedly found metal knuckles, used in fistfighting, and the drugs Ecstasy, methamphetamine and marijuana. Michael Walls, 26, of Floral Park, was charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree, criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree, and unlawful possession of marijuana. The second passenger, Lisa Lanza, 22, of Glen Cove, was charged with seventh degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of marijuana. The three were processed and released at the Rotterdam station. They will return to town of Rotterdam court at 4 p.m. Thursdayto face the charges.
By PAUL NELSON, Staff writer Click byline for more stories by writer. Last updated: 7:20 p.m., Sunday, May 4, 2008
SCHENECTADY -- Patrolman Andrew Karaskiewicz failed to do basic police work before arresting Donald Randolph for drunken driving last year leaving prosecutors with no choice but to charge Randolph with a misdemeanor, according Schenectady County District Attorney Robert Carney.
As a result of the encounter, Karaskiewicz and four other city cops remain suspended with pay pending the outcome of an ongoing state Attorney General's probe into allegations they used excessive force against Randolph during the early morning hours of Dec. 7 when he was arrested.
The other officers on paid leave are Darryl Mallard, Gregory Hafensteiner, Kevin Derkowski and Eric Reyell. Police say Randolph, 37, threatened Karaskiewicz after being taken into custody for allegedly driving while intoxicated outside the drive-through window at the McDonald's on Union Street.
Authorities say Karaskiewicz stopped his patrol car near the intersection of Union and McClellan streets to transfer Randolph to the department prisoner transport wagon. The four other officers in two patrol cars met up with Karaskiewicz. Mallard was behind the wheel of the transport van.
In City court Friday with his attorney George LaMarche III, Randolph pleaded guilty to misdemeanor second-degree unlicensed operation and admitted he was driving. At the time, his driver's license was revoked.
The Patersonville man had originally faced felony driving while intoxicated and second degree harassment, a violation, both of which were dropped. Randolph, 37, was credited with time served and fined $700.
``We had an unprosecutable DWI case because he didn't follow the proper procedures that every officer is supposed to follow,'' Carney said, adding that Karaskiewicz had told his office early on in the investigation that this was his first drunken driving arrest.
The case was eventually transferred to the AG's office because one of the officers is married to one of Carney's investigators.
LaMarche said Sunday that it's hard to believe that Karaskiewicz didn't do a field sobriety tests or a roadside Breathalyzer.
``He didn't follow any of the generally accepted procedures prior to his(Randolph's) arrest, '' added LaMarche.
Paul Nelson can be reached at 454-5347 or by e-mail at pnelson@timesunion.com.
Gunfire on Schenectady streets came to a screeching halt after 61 incidents in the first four months of this year. The shooting gallery quieted down when State Police were brought in two weeks ago to help city cops. Whether arrival of the troopers persuaded bad guy gun-toters to cool it is pure speculation. Police Lt. Brian Kilcullen said the recent wave of very cold and even rainy weather has driven gunslingers inside. Some other cops I know said the addition of troopers has provided manpower to conduct more street spot checks of suspicious characters. They said when a crackdown starts, the bad guys leave their guns home. Rotterdam police are proving their road checks at city entrance points are productive. I'm told one out of every five stops they make nets somebody on the list of wants and warrants.
Ex-Schenectady chief's wife among 24 named in drug probe NY attorney general's office to detail investigation later today
By MIKE GOODWIN and LAUREN STANFORTH, Staff writers Click byline for more stories by writer. Last updated: 10:44 a.m., Thursday, May 8, 2008
SCHENECTADY -- Lisa Kaczmarek, the wife of former Schenectady Police Chief Gregory T. Kaczmarek, is among 24 people facing indictment as part of a state organized crime investigation into a major Capital Region illegal drug operation, the Attorney General's office confirmed this morning.
Kaczmarek, 48, is expected to face drug charges as part of the probe Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's office describes as a serious strike against upstate drug trafficking.
State Police fanned out across the area this morning to apprehend those named in the indictment. Cuomo is expected to detail the Organized Crime Task Force investigation at a news conference later today.
It's not the first time Lisa Kaczmarek has been in trouble with the law. Three years ago, she was arrested after allegedly being caught with marijuana when she went through a security checkpoint at City Court. That case was later adjourned and the case sealed.
Kaczmarek's husband retired in 2002, five years after he was appointed to lead the city department. Gregory Kaczmarek headed the force when the U.S. Department of Justice launched a corruption probe that ended with four officers in federal prison.
The City Council, civil rights leaders and others criticized Kaczmarek as an out-of-touch leader who lost control of his department. During Kaczmarek's tenure, the Justice Department's civil rights unit launched a separate investigation that faulted the department for violating the Constitutional rights of citizens.
Ex-Schenectady chief's wife among 24 named in drug probe Indictment: Lisa Kaczmarek told associate husband Greg would "mule'' drugs
By LAUREN STANFORTH and MIKE GOODWIN, Staff writers Click byline for more stories by writer. Last updated: 12:12 p.m., Thursday, May 8, 2008
SCHENECTADY -- Lisa Kaczmarek, the wife of former Schenectady Police Chief Gregory T. Kaczmarek, is among 24 people facing indictment as part of a state organized crime investigation into a major Capital Region illegal drug operation, the Attorney General's office confirmed this morning.
The ex-chief faces no charges, but the indictment unsealed this morning says investigators were listening in on a tapped phone line when his wife on Feb. 18 told an associate that her husband, Greg Kaczmarek, would "mule" -- or transport -- cocaine for the associate.
And as an ex-police officer, she promised, he would "flash his badge" if the need arose.
Lisa Kaczmarek, 48, faces charges of felony drug sale and possession.
A law enforcement official familiar with the investigation described her as a ``retail'' dealer who moved small amounts of cocaine for the operation.
State Police fanned out across the area this morning to apprehend those named in the indictment. Cuomo is expected to detail the Organized Crime Task Force investigation at a news conference later today. Authorities describe the operation as a highly organized group that moved cocaine from New York City to the region and then hid the drugs -- and guns -- in local apartments.
It's not the first time Lisa Kaczmarek has been in trouble with the law. Three years ago, she was arrested after allegedly being caught with marijuana when she went through a security checkpoint at City Court. That case was later adjourned and the case sealed.
Kaczmarek's husband retired in 2002, five years after he was appointed to lead the city department. Gregory Kaczmarek headed the force when the U.S. Department of Justice launched a corruption probe that ended with four officers in federal prison.
The City Council, civil rights leaders and others criticized Kaczmarek as an out-of-touch leader who lost control of his department. During Kaczmarek's tenure, the Justice Department's civil rights unit launched a separate investigation that faulted the department for violating the Constitutional rights of citizens.
Ex-Schenectady police chief tied to probe of drug ring Kaczmarek's wife, stepson among 24 indicted May 8, 2008 Updated 3:32 p.m. By Steven Cook (Contact) Gazette Reporter
ALBANY — A 13-month drug investigation culminated this morning in the indictment of 24 people on drug charges, including the wife and stepson of a former Schenectady police chief.
In a series of raids this morning, police arrested 21 of the 24 indicted by a Schenectady County grand jury in Operation Slim Chance, part of the state attorney general's office's Guns, Gangs and Drugs Initiative. Police also seized 58 ounces of cocaine, 1,600 bags of heroin, $22,000 in cash, five vehicles and weapons including a semi-automatic assault rifle.
The indictment charges that Kerry Kirkem, 40, and Oscar Mora, 30, were in charge of the Schenectady-based organization, which obtained its cocaine and heroin from Long Island supplier Maximo "Max" Doe. Officials said the group did business in Albany, Schenectady, Saratoga, Montgomery, Columbia and Warren counties.
"This ring was a very organized business," said Robin Baker, executive deputy attorney general.
Lisa Kaczmarek allegedly told an associate her husband, former Schenectady police chief Greg Kaczmarek, would “mule” cocaine for him, according to the indictment, unsealed this morning in Schenectady County Court.
Kirkem allegedly told Lisa Kaczmarek Feb. 16 in a coded telephone conversation that a new supply of cocaine “was very high quality and would boost Kaczmarek’s business.” The next day, Lisa Kaczmarek was told by Kirkem that a new supply was coming soon. She allegedly asked for any cocaine available then, according to the indictment.
On Feb. 18, Lisa Kaczmarek allegedly implicated her husband, telling Kirkem that “Greg Kaczmarek would ‘mule’ cocaine for Kirkem, and, as an ex-police officer, he would ‘flash his badge’ if the need arose,” according to the indictment.
The indictment also says that both Lisa and Greg Kaczmarek met with Kirkem on Feb. 20 "to discuss the details surrounding the police seizing cocaine and other narcotics from the drug organization earlier in the day, and how to proceed with their drug organization in view of that police seizure," according to the indictment.
Lisa Kaczmarek turned herself in this morning after being told that she was being sought. She was charged with second-degree conspiracy and faces 8 1-3 to 25 years in prison if convicted of the felony.
Greg Kaczmarek is not named as a defendant in the indictment, but Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said the investigation is continuing, though he would offer no further comment on the former chief.
"No one is beyond the law, even someone associated with law enforcement or formerly associated with law enforcement," Cuomo said. "No one is beyond the law."
Lisa Kaczmarek's son, Miles Smith, was also among those indicted, accused of retrieving packages of cocaine for Kirkem and agreeing to sell cocaine to a customer. At one point in late February, Smith and Gary Cherny allegedly moved a safe used to store and conceal cash, weapons and cocaine and other drugs from a “stash house” at 206 Union St. to the “stash house” of Cherny at 1822 Avenue A. Cherny was arrested earlier.
The Kaczmareks could not be reached for comment.
The arrests are part of a months-long investigation by the Community Narcotics Enforcement Team and prosecuted by the state Attorney General’s office.
Sealed indictments were handed up Wednesday afternoon, given to Schenectady County Court Judge Karen Drago by a representative of the state Attorney General’s Organized Crime Task Force, paving the way for this morning’s arrests.
The investigation began after traffic stops in Saratoga and Greene counties and eventually involved local, state and federal law enforcement. and the use of wiretaps The investigation first surfaced publicly in March, authorities said, when four people were arrested on high-level drug charges, accused of operating or helping in a large-scale distribution operation in the Schenectady County area. Tietz characterized those arrested in March as the main players, with those arrested today the street-level dealers.
The four remain accused of possessing or attempting to possess cocaine in February and March in Schenectady, according to papers filed in court.
Mora, formerly of Albany, and Kirkem, formerly of Long Island, were arrested in March as a result of a police raid. Mora and Kirkem were charged with one count each of first-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a top-level drug felony.
Lisa Kaczmarek and her son have had contact with police before. Lisa Kaczmarek was cited in 2005, accused of going through court metal detectors with a metal tin containing a half-smoked marijuana cigarette while attending another case involving her son.
Court officers charged her then with unlawful possession of marijuana, a violation. The case was adjourned in contemplation of dismissal and has since been sealed.
Smith was charged in July 2007 with possessing an illegal gravity knife. He allegedly emptied his pockets at the metal detector and officers spotted the knife.
Smith was also accused in March of felony promoting prison contraband. He was accused of attempting to smuggle cigarettes and matches to an inmate by hiding them inside the soles of running shoes.
The items were discovered in a routine search of items entering the jail.
The Schenectady PD has been in trouble with the law for a very long time now and I hope that after this latest debacle that the SPD will finally clean itself up.
SCHENECTADY Police patrols keeping streets quiet BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter
The streets have been a lot quieter since police doubled their patrols two weeks ago. There hasn’t been a single shot fired, said Public Safety Commissioner Wayne Bennett. But Bennett said the criminals who were shooting at each other over every small slight in March are likely to go right back to their old tricks if police back down. He wants to keep up the intensive patrols, which include state police, regular patrol offi cers and every other officer who can be spared from other duties. “We’re pleased with the results, but we’re not comfortable,” he said. “Whether or not this indicates these people are changing their behavior … without knowing who they are and talking with them, there’s no way to know. I certainly do think the intensified police presence has a great deal to do with [the lack of shooting].” He believes there are about 25 shooters loose in the city. Only a few have been arrested, mainly because they were injured by someone else. Bennett calls them “victim-perpetrators” because they were trying to shoot someone else when they were injured. They contributed to March and early April’s record number of shots-fired incidents, he said. The fact that the shooters haven’t fired their guns in two weeks is encouraging, Bennett said, but not a helpful indication of what they’d do if police returned to their regular patrols. His intelligence indicates that the shootings revolved around an attitude that the slightest disrespectful comment must be instantly punished. The shootings also always involved people who knew each other, he said. He thinks shooters are now hesitating to fire their guns at their acquaintances because they worry police will quickly catch them. But calming the violence through police saturation is only a short-term solution — eventually, the police will have to return to normal patrols. Probation Director Mary Lolik said the long-term solution must involve the criminals themselves. City officials must provide programs “to give them incentives to be productive citizens,” she said. Right now, they shoot because they don’t think they have anything to lose, she speculated. “I think a lot of them think there is nothing out there for them,” Lolik said. “The kids have given up. My goal is, let’s get them jobs, get an education, so they stop getting in trouble over and over.” This year probation is trying something new — a type of group therapy designed to get teenagers and young adults to talk about their dreams and goals in life. City Mission is helping run the program. “From my experience, they need to have something they can hold onto,” Lolik said. “[They need to say] ‘I need a goal, I’m not going to give up on life, I care about my life.’ ” While Lolik is trying to get her clients on the straight and narrow, her department is also working with law enforcement more than ever before, in hopes of quickly rearresting residents who are on probation and have committed another crime. “Any time there is a shooting, we’re alerted. We’ll help identify who it might be,” Lolik said. “After the [parking garage] rape near Liberty Street, we gave them a list — it could be this one, it could be that one.” The new strategy came about after the county agreed to pay for a probation intelligence officer who works with local law enforcement. “We have never worked as closely together, never before,” Lolik said. “We actually started sharing information.” In addition to the lack of shootings, there has been one other positive development in the past two weeks: residents are helping police more than ever before. “We’re getting intelligence from people on the streets,” Bennett said. The department is even getting phone calls from residents who offered the names of specific individuals who are carrying guns, he said. But the wounded residents arrested after last month’s gun battles are not cooperating, Bennett said. They are now being charged for their involvement in the battles, including possession of illegal fi rearms.
SCHENECTADY Kaczmarek linked to alleged drug ring BY STEVEN COOK Gazette Reporter
Former Schenectady police chief Gregory T. Kaczmarek, who became chief amid rumors of past drug use, now finds himself implicated in a wide-ranging drug operation. His wife, Lisa Kaczmarek, and stepson Miles Smith were among 24 persons indicted Thursday in what authorities called a highly organized drug distribution ring. Gregory Kaczmarek himself was not charged, but he is named in the indictment as meeting with his wife and one of the alleged operators of the ring, discussing “how to proceed with their drug organization” in view of police drug seizures in February. His wife is accused of using her husband’s name in telephone conversations with that same operator, offering her husband’s services as a drug mule. Gregory Kaczmarek, his wife allegedly said, would be useful; as an ex-police officer, he would “flash his badge” if the need arose, according to the indictment. Asked why Gregory Kaczmarek was named in the papers but not indicted, state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said the investigation is continuing. “No one is beyond the law, even someone associated with law enforcement or formerly associated with law enforcement,” Cuomo said at an afternoon news conference at his Capitol office in Albany. “No one is beyond the law.” Gregory Kaczmarek served as Schenectady police chief from 1996 until he retired in 2002 in the wake of one of the department’s worst scandals when four officers were sent to federal prison for mishandling informants and drug evidence. SHADOWY RUMORS Gregory Kaczmarek himself has long been followed by rumors of drug use. The week before he was named chief in 1996, he attempted to dispel the whispers by holding a news conference, flatly denying them. Then-mayor Al Jurczynski challenged anyone with proof of such a claim to come forward. No one credible did, Jurczynski said then in making the appointment. Lisa Kaczmarek, 48, of Roma Street, turned herself in Thursday morning after being told that she was being sought. She was charged with second-degree conspiracy and faces 8 1 /3 to 25 years in prison if convicted of the felony. Smith, 20, of Schenectady, was also arrested, accused of the same conspiracy count. He is also named as a defendant in another conspiracy count and four drug counts, alleging possession, attempted possession and sale. Gregory and Lisa Kaczmarek hired Albany lawyer Kevin Luibrand to represent them, Luibrand confirmed Thursday afternoon. He declined to comment further, saying he had yet to read the indictment. Luibrand and the former chief have some history: They were on opposite sides of many cases. Luibrand represented a number of plaintiffs suing the Schenectady Police. Authorities Thursday placed Lisa Kaczmarek’s involvement in the operation as working on the street-level with Kerry Kirkem, one of two alleged operators. Kirkem allegedly told Lisa Kaczmarek Feb. 16 in a coded telephone conversation that a new supply of cocaine “was very high quality and would boost Kaczmarek’s business.” The next day, Kirkem told Lisa Kaczmarek that a new supply was coming soon. She allegedly asked for any cocaine available then, according to the indictment. It was on Feb. 18 that she allegedly told Kirkem that her husband could help. And both she and her husband, the indictment reads, met with Kirkem on Feb. 20 “to discuss the details surrounding the police seizing cocaine and other narcotics from the drug organization earlier in the day, and how to proceed with their drug organization in view of that police seizure.” Lisa Kaczmarek’s son, Smith, is accused of retrieving packages of cocaine for Kirkem and agreeing to sell cocaine to a customer. At one point in late February, Smith and another man indicted allegedly moved a safe used to store and conceal cash, weapons and cocaine and other drugs from a “stash house” at 206 Union St. to the “stash house” at 1822 Avenue A. EARLIER INCIDENTS Lisa Kaczmarek and her son have faced charges before. Lisa Kaczmarek was cited in 2005 after police said she went through court metal detectors with a metal tin containing a half-smoked marijuana cigarette while attending another case involving her son. Court officers charged her then with unlawful possession of marijuana, a violation. The case was adjourned in contemplation of dismissal and has since been sealed. Smith was charged in July 2007 with possessing an illegal gravity knife. He allegedly emptied his pockets at the metal detector and officers spotted the knife. Smith was also accused in March of felony promoting prison contraband. He was accused of attempting to smuggle cigarettes and matches to an inmate by hiding them inside the soles of running shoes. The items were discovered in a routine search of items entering the jail.
Ex-chief named in wire tap Former Schenectady top cop Gregory T. Kaczmarek mentioned in drug indictment that accuses wife, others
By LAUREN STANFORTH, Staff writer First published: Friday, May 9, 2008
SCHENECTADY -- A former police chief who started his tenure in 1996 by dispelling rumors he was a drug user was mentioned in a drug conspiracy indictment Thursday that charged his wife, stepson and 22 others with involvement in a Schenectady-based cocaine and heroin ring that obtained drugs from Long Island.
Gregory T. Kaczmarek, who retired in 2002, was not charged in the state attorney general's indictment, unsealed by Schenectady County Court Judge Christine M. Clark on Thursday. But authorities allege in the document that Kaczmarek's wife, Lisa, said in a tapped phone conversation with her associates on Feb. 18 that her husband would "mule" cocaine for the operation, and that he would "flash his badge" if the need arose. Mule means carrying or transporting drugs. Also, the indictment alleges the former chief and his wife met with the drug ring's leader Feb. 20 to "discuss the details surrounding the police seizing cocaine and other narcotics from the drug organization earlier in the day and how to proceed with their drug organization in view of that police seizure." Interviewed at his Schenectady home Thursday afternoon, Kaczmarek said, "I love my wife and she has my full support." He went on to acknowledge he and his wife were friends with the ring's alleged leader, Kerry "Slim" or "K" Kirkem. Once the investigation focused on Kirkem, "I knew we would be targets," Kaczmarek said. Otherwise, he declined to talk about the case. Concerning the ex-chief's possible involvement, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said Thursday afternoon, "There is an ongoing investigation on this matter, and at this time I have no further comment." The 13-month probe of the ring, which began with traffic stops for drug possession in Saratoga and Greene counties, characterizes Lisa Kaczmarek, 48, as an alleged freelance dealer affiliated with the drug organization. A law enforcement official familiar with the investigation described Lisa Kaczmarek as a "retail" dealer who moved small amounts of cocaine for the operation. She is charged with second-degree conspiracy and faces 8 /3 to 25 years in prison if convicted. Her son, Miles Smith, 20, is described in the indictment as an alleged worker for the drug organization and also faces conspiracy charges. The Kaczmareks have hired high-profile local attorney Kevin Luibrand, who represented several plaintiffs who successfully sued the city for police misconduct when Gregory Kaczmarek was chief. Luibrand declined comment Thursday. Lisa Kaczmarek turned herself in to a law enforcement agency Thursday after police began fanning out across Schenectady and arresting those charged in the indictment, said Robin Baker, state Executive Deputy Attorney General for Criminal Justice. Baker didn't say which agency. Kaczmarek's wife denied a request for an interview from the Schenectady County jail, where she was being held without bail. The 84-count indictment was the result of a multi-agency investigation called "Operation Slim Chance," led by the attorney general's Organized Crime Task Force and assisted by the State Police, Schenectady police, Schenectady district attorney's office and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.Authorities allege that Kirkem, 40, of both Schenectady and Waterford, and Oscar Mora, 30, of Waterford, ran the organization that brought drugs from Long Island to Schenectady, where they allegedly were sold throughout the Capital Region. The indictment covers alleged activities between January and March. Participants rented Schenectady apartments, or "stash houses," including two on Avenue A and Union Street, where drugs, cash and weapons could be concealed, investigators said. Workers also took organized shifts to sell the drugs, often arguing with each other about not getting the most lucrative shifts, Baker said. More than 58 ounces of cocaine, at an estimated value of $130,000, and more than 1,600 bags of heroin, valued at $33,000, were seized during the investigation. Five vehicles, two guns and $22,549 in cash also were taken. The drugs are believed to have been distributed throughout Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady, Columbia, Montgomery and Warren counties. Schenectady County District Attorney Robert Carney said he believes there is a drug overdose death in Warren County that can be linked to the ring's particular drugs. Thursday was not the first time that Lisa Kaczmarek has been in trouble with the law. Three years ago, she was arrested after allegedly being caught with marijuana when she went through a security checkpoint at Schenectady City Court. That case was later adjourned and sealed. Gregory Kaczmarek ran the Schenectady police force when the U.S. Department of Justice launched a corruption probe that ended with four officers in federal prison. The City Council, civil rights leaders and others criticized Kaczmarek as an out-of-touch leader who lost control of his department. During Kaczmarek's tenure, the Justice Department's civil rights unit launched a separate investigation that faulted the department for violating constitutional rights of citizens. For years, Kaczmarek was dogged by rumors of drug use. When then-Mayor Albert P. Jurczynski was considering him for chief in 1996, Kaczmarek held a remarkable news conference to rebut the rumors. "I'm not a drug user or abuser and never have been one," he said at the time. Lisa Kaczmarek is scheduled to be arraigned in County Court this morning, possibly along with 19 others who were apprehended Thursday. One person charged was already arraigned Thursday morning because he was being held in connection with a different case. Three others named in the indictment had yet to be arrested Thursday, authorities said. Lauren Stanforth can be reached at 454-5697 or by e-mail at lstanforth@timesunion.com. Assistant City Editor Mike Goodwin contributed to this story.
Bail set for ex-police chief's wife Lisa Kaczmarek pleads not guilty to conspiracy
By CAROL DeMARE, Staff writer Friday, May 9, 2008
SCHENECTADY -- Lisa Kaczmarek pleaded not guilty to conspiracy this morning. Arrested in connection with a state investigation of a local drug trafficking ring, she is expected to post bail later today.
Shackled, handcuffed and wearing an orange Schenectady County jail jumpsuit, the wife of former Schenectady Police Chief Gregory T. Kaczmarek appeared in front of acting County Judge Christine M. Clark for a reading of a single felony count filed against her. Her bail was set at $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond. During a bail application, her attorney, Kevin Luibrand, asked Clark to consider giving Kaczmarek the same $5,000 cash or $10,000 bond bail set earlier for another female defendant, Leah Armenia, charged with conspiracy -- and drug possession. But Assistant Deputy Attorney General Michael Sharpe said it would be difficult for Armenia, a 25-year-old Hannaford supermarket supervisor, to make the higher bail. He argued that in the case of Lisa Kaczmarek, a higher bail should be considered. After Sharpe spoke, Luibrand renewed his argument for the lower amount. He told the judge Lisa Kaczmarek ``is not a flight risk whatsoever.'' The judge sided with the prosecutor's recommendation. Lisa Kaczmarek is one of more than a dozen people arraigned this morning in connection with the state Organized Crime Task Force investigation into a drug ring that allegedly operated a cocaine pipeline from Long Island and New York to the Capital Region. An indictment unsealed Thursday charged Lisa Kaczmarek, her son and 22 other people with alleged involvement in the ring. The former police chief does not face charges in the ongoing investigation, but he told the Times Union on Thursday that he expected he and his wife would be targets once the investigation focused on one of their friends, alleged ringleader Kerry ``Slim'' Kirkem. An indictment filed against Lisa Kaczmarek says that she was caught on a recorded phone line telling a friend that her husband could transport drugs for them. Both Kaczmareks allegedly met with Kirkem on Feb. 20 to ``discuss the details surrounding the police seizing cocaine and other narcotics from the drug organization earlier in the day and how to proceed with their drug organization in view of that police seizure.'' Neither Kaczmareks nor Luibrand will discuss the case. Luibrand represents both husband and wife. After court, the ex-chief reiterated remarks about his wife that he made to the Times Union on Thursday. ``I love my wife and she has my full support,'' he said.
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