PO Michael Buczek and Det Christopher Hoban
THE MICHAEL BUCZEK STORY
October 18, 1988 was one of the darkest days in the history of New York City; on that day two of New York's Finest were murdered in unrelated incidents by the drug gangs that then controlled many of the neighborhoods of New York. Officer Chris Hoban was gunned down by drug dealers operating on West 105th Street in Manhattan. Three hours later, Officer Michael Buczek was executed by members of a Dominican drug gang that Buczek and his partner were attempting to drive away from an apartment building where they were selling drugs to kids.
At that time, the illegal drug trade had mushroomed into a multi-billion dollar industry, with much of that money funneled as bribes to corrupt politicians and Prosecutors who shielded the drug dealers from legal challenge. Officers Hoban and Buczek were just the latest victims in a 'drug war' that would claim the lives - or careers - of dedicated professionals such as Edward Byrne, DEA agent Everett Hatcher, the NYPD's "Feerick Four," and others. In Buczek's case, his two murderers were members of the powerful Dominican Drug Cartel, with corrupt friends in high places both here in America and abroad. The two men who murdered Officer Buczek, Pablo Almonte-Lluberes and Daniel Mirambeaux fled back to the Dominican Republic where they expected to be safe from Prosecution due to the corrupt regime then in place. Lluberes had a brother who was a high-ranking government official in the DR.
One formidable obstacle in the way of obtaining Justice for the Buczek family was the fact that the Dominican Republic does not have an extradition treaty with the United States. It took years of intense public pressure and investigation to convince the government of the Dominican Republic to extradite Mirambeaux to the U. S. However, Mirambeaux was more than just a drug dealer; he was a liability to many corrupt officials, both in the U.S. and the DR, about whom he could reveal information about their criminal enterprises. While being escorted from police custody en route to face trial in the U. S., Mirambeaux wound up dead, allegedly hurling himself down three flights of stairs while handcuffed behind the back.
For years, the quest to have Almonte-Lluberes returned to face trial in the United States was at a standstill. Then, in March 2,000, the U. S. Marshall's Service opened an office in the DR, with the express intent of locating and capturing Almonte-Lluberes. Pressure within the Dominican Republic to extradite Almonte-Lluberes heated up after Congressman Benjamin Gilman used his position as Chairman of the House International Relations Committee to halt the transfer of $3,000,000 in foreign aid until the fugitive cop killer was arrested and extradited. In November 2000 the U. S. Marshals Service announced the arrest of Pablo Almonte-Lluberes in Santo Domingo, DR. Ted Buczek, Michael's father, told the Media: "I've been waiting for this for 12 years, and it finally came!" "It's like Christmas for me today."
Today in Washington Heights, a 400-member Little League program and baseball field are named for Michael Buczek, and a scholarship fund to benefit local students was started in 1991 by Bernard Kerik, now the New York City Police Department Commissioner. Kerik also helped to found the Michael John Buczek Foundation, which honors law enforcement, officers nationwide.
Kerik, who personally traveled to the airport in New Jersey to bring take custody of Almonte-Lluberes stated to the Media: "I think this clearly demonstrates that you may be able to run but you can't hide and no matter how far you go, if you kill a New York City cop, we're going to catch you!"
October 18, 1988 was one of the darkest days in the history of New York City; on that day two of New York's Finest were murdered in unrelated incidents by the drug gangs that then controlled many of the neighborhoods of New York. Officer Chris Hoban was gunned down by drug dealers operating on West 105th Street in Manhattan. Three hours later, Officer Michael Buczek was executed by members of a Dominican drug gang that Buczek and his partner were attempting to drive away from an apartment building where they were selling drugs to kids.
At that time, the illegal drug trade had mushroomed into a multi-billion dollar industry, with much of that money funneled as bribes to corrupt politicians and Prosecutors who shielded the drug dealers from legal challenge. Officers Hoban and Buczek were just the latest victims in a 'drug war' that would claim the lives - or careers - of dedicated professionals such as Edward Byrne, DEA agent Everett Hatcher, the NYPD's "Feerick Four," and others. In Buczek's case, his two murderers were members of the powerful Dominican Drug Cartel, with corrupt friends in high places both here in America and abroad. The two men who murdered Officer Buczek, Pablo Almonte-Lluberes and Daniel Mirambeaux fled back to the Dominican Republic where they expected to be safe from Prosecution due to the corrupt regime then in place. Lluberes had a brother who was a high-ranking government official in the DR.
One formidable obstacle in the way of obtaining Justice for the Buczek family was the fact that the Dominican Republic does not have an extradition treaty with the United States. It took years of intense public pressure and investigation to convince the government of the Dominican Republic to extradite Mirambeaux to the U. S. However, Mirambeaux was more than just a drug dealer; he was a liability to many corrupt officials, both in the U.S. and the DR, about whom he could reveal information about their criminal enterprises. While being escorted from police custody en route to face trial in the U. S., Mirambeaux wound up dead, allegedly hurling himself down three flights of stairs while handcuffed behind the back.
For years, the quest to have Almonte-Lluberes returned to face trial in the United States was at a standstill. Then, in March 2,000, the U. S. Marshall's Service opened an office in the DR, with the express intent of locating and capturing Almonte-Lluberes. Pressure within the Dominican Republic to extradite Almonte-Lluberes heated up after Congressman Benjamin Gilman used his position as Chairman of the House International Relations Committee to halt the transfer of $3,000,000 in foreign aid until the fugitive cop killer was arrested and extradited. In November 2000 the U. S. Marshals Service announced the arrest of Pablo Almonte-Lluberes in Santo Domingo, DR. Ted Buczek, Michael's father, told the Media: "I've been waiting for this for 12 years, and it finally came!" "It's like Christmas for me today."
Today in Washington Heights, a 400-member Little League program and baseball field are named for Michael Buczek, and a scholarship fund to benefit local students was started in 1991 by Bernard Kerik, now the New York City Police Department Commissioner. Kerik also helped to found the Michael John Buczek Foundation, which honors law enforcement, officers nationwide.
Kerik, who personally traveled to the airport in New Jersey to bring take custody of Almonte-Lluberes stated to the Media: "I think this clearly demonstrates that you may be able to run but you can't hide and no matter how far you go, if you kill a New York City cop, we're going to catch you!"
Police officer watches funeral of slain cops Michael Buczek and Christopher Hoban from rooftop near Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church.
January 01, 2000 License
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Christopher Hoban
Police Officer Christopher Hoban was shot and killed during an undercover drug buy on the same night as Michael Buczek.
Officer Christopher Hoban and another undercover narcotics officer entered an apartment at 19 West 105th Street in Manhattan to make a narcotics buy. During the operation the three suspects began to suspect that Officer Hoban and his partner were police officers. When they searched Officer Hoban's partner found his service weapon. Officer Hoban immediately drew his gun and a shootout ensued in which Officer Hoban and one of the suspects were fatally wounded.
Officer Hoban was taken to St. Luke's Hospital where he died of his wounds.
The two surviving suspects were apprehended and later convicted of murder. They were both sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
Officer Hoban had served with the New York City Police Department for four years and was assigned to the Manhattan North Narcotics Unit. He is survived by his parents and two brothers.
Note: Officers Michael Buczek and Christopher Hoban were killed within hours of each other in seperate shootings in Manhattan. This was the first time in NYPD history two officers were killed in seperate incidences on the same day.
Bio & Incident Details
Age: 26
Tour: 4 years
Badge # 25547
Cause: Gunfire
Weapon: Handgun; .357 caliber
Offender: Shot and killed
Police Officer Christopher Hoban was shot and killed during an undercover drug buy on the same night as Michael Buczek.
Officer Christopher Hoban and another undercover narcotics officer entered an apartment at 19 West 105th Street in Manhattan to make a narcotics buy. During the operation the three suspects began to suspect that Officer Hoban and his partner were police officers. When they searched Officer Hoban's partner found his service weapon. Officer Hoban immediately drew his gun and a shootout ensued in which Officer Hoban and one of the suspects were fatally wounded.
Officer Hoban was taken to St. Luke's Hospital where he died of his wounds.
The two surviving suspects were apprehended and later convicted of murder. They were both sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
Officer Hoban had served with the New York City Police Department for four years and was assigned to the Manhattan North Narcotics Unit. He is survived by his parents and two brothers.
Note: Officers Michael Buczek and Christopher Hoban were killed within hours of each other in seperate shootings in Manhattan. This was the first time in NYPD history two officers were killed in seperate incidences on the same day.
Bio & Incident Details
Age: 26
Tour: 4 years
Badge # 25547
Cause: Gunfire
Weapon: Handgun; .357 caliber
Offender: Shot and killed
Buczek was killed in 1988.
Photo: MJ Buczek
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LINKS
Officer Tells of Partner's Slaying in Drug Operation
As the family of a slain police officer sat quietly in a Manhattan courtroom, and a dozen off-duty officers glared in stony silence at the three defendants, a narcotics officer testified in harrowing detail yesterday about how his partner was killed in an undercover drug operation on the Upper West Side.
The officer said the operation went wrong when he and his partner, Officer Christopher Hoban, 26 years old, refused to sample cocaine they were buying from three men in an apartment at 19 West 105th Street on Oct. 18, 1988. New York City Police Department policy prohibits the sampling of drugs unless an officer's life is in danger.
Two police officers were killed in separate drug-related shootings that night. The other, Officer Michael Buczek, was killed during a raid in Washington Heights.
In line of duty, loss and honor
Enduring legacies of fallen officers
Video - Buczek Foundation
In Memoriam PO Buczek and PO Hoban
nycpba.org/gallery/buczek-hoban-2014/i...26th Anniversary Memorial March and Mass in Memory of P.O. Michael J. Buczek and P.O. Christopher G. Hoban,
Ted Buczek, father of slain NYPD Officer Michael ...
nypost.com/2010/12/13/ted-buczek-father-of-slain-n...
Dec 12, 2010 ·
Ted Buczek, the father of slain NYPD Police Officer Michael Buczek, died Saturday after a long battle with prostate cancer. He was 84. His son, Michael, 24 ...
Officer Tells of Partner's Slaying in Drug Operation
As the family of a slain police officer sat quietly in a Manhattan courtroom, and a dozen off-duty officers glared in stony silence at the three defendants, a narcotics officer testified in harrowing detail yesterday about how his partner was killed in an undercover drug operation on the Upper West Side.
The officer said the operation went wrong when he and his partner, Officer Christopher Hoban, 26 years old, refused to sample cocaine they were buying from three men in an apartment at 19 West 105th Street on Oct. 18, 1988. New York City Police Department policy prohibits the sampling of drugs unless an officer's life is in danger.
Two police officers were killed in separate drug-related shootings that night. The other, Officer Michael Buczek, was killed during a raid in Washington Heights.
In line of duty, loss and honor
Enduring legacies of fallen officers
Video - Buczek Foundation
In Memoriam PO Buczek and PO Hoban
nycpba.org/gallery/buczek-hoban-2014/i...26th Anniversary Memorial March and Mass in Memory of P.O. Michael J. Buczek and P.O. Christopher G. Hoban,
Ted Buczek, father of slain NYPD Officer Michael ...
nypost.com/2010/12/13/ted-buczek-father-of-slain-n...
Dec 12, 2010 ·
Ted Buczek, the father of slain NYPD Police Officer Michael Buczek, died Saturday after a long battle with prostate cancer. He was 84. His son, Michael, 24 ...
After 15 Years, Two Men Are Tried in Officer's Death
Almost 15 years after a robbery that ended with the death of a police officer, the police say, two men were brought before a Manhattan jury yesterday to face felony murder charges.
The opening arguments were long in coming because the men, Pablo Almonte and Jose Fernandez, fled to the Dominican Republic, their home country, after Officer Michael Buczek was killed during a foot chase in Washington Heights. Their extradition took years of legal and diplomatic wrangling that ended yesterday before Justice Michael J. Obus in State Supreme Court.
Officer Buczek, 24, was shot on Oct. 18, 1988, after he and his partner chased several people suspected of robbing drug dealers in an apartment building on West 160th Street. The police said that Officer Buczek was able to grab Mr. Almonte by his jacket, but that he slipped out of it. One of Mr. Almonte's accomplices, a man who has since died mysteriously in a Dominican jail, shot the officer, they said.
"We're all here because a man is dead," David Drucker, an assistant district attorney, said yesterday. "His right to live out his life was taken away from him."
Mr. Almonte is thought to have fled on the day after the shooting to the Dominican Republic, where he remained hidden for almost 12 years. There, his brother, an army official, helped him thwart the authorities seeking his arrest, American officials have said. Mr. Almonte was finally arrested in November 2000 by a team of two Dominican National Police officers and two deputy United States marshals.
Mr. Fernandez was arrested last year. He is accused of bagging the proceeds of the robbery and fleeing the apartment building minutes, maybe seconds, before Mr. Almonte caught the officers' attention.
Mr. Drucker told the jury about an independent witness to Mr. Fernandez's involvement, and said that the prosecution had testimony from three unrelated people to whom the defendants made admissions. He also said there was DNA evidence linking Mr. Almonte to the crime.
But the defendants' lawyers, Fred Bittlingmaier and David Blackstone, derided the prosecutor's statements and told the jury that there was no case against their clients because they were not guilty of robbery in the first place.
Mr. Bittlingmaier said that his client, Mr. Almonte, was walking along Broadway on the night of the robbery when "suddenly he's approached from behind and Officer Buczek grabs him from behind, throws him down so hard his jacket comes off, and shots start flying."
Mr. Blackstone emphasized a lack of forensic evidence against Mr. Fernandez and accused the prosecution's witnesses of having cooperated to "get off the hook" from their own legal problems.
If found guilty, Mr. Almonte, 51, and Mr. Fernandez, 52, could face up to 25 years to life in prison.
'JUSTICE COMING' FOR SLAIN COP'S KIN 15 YEARS LATER
By LAURA ITALIANO
April 27, 2003 -- After a 15-year wait, the family of a cop gunned down on the job in Washington Heights will get its day in court.
Two Dominican men go on trial in Manhattan Supreme Court tomorrow for the murder of Officer Michael Buczek. There to watch the proceedings will be Buczek's brother Walter, of North Jersey, and his father Ted and sister Mary Jo, who are driving from Florida this weekend to make the court date.
Their tireless fight for justice has included leaning on investigators, congressmen and writing to two Dominican presidents.
"My son and I were very close," Ted Buczek said.
"I would have pushed this until the day I died, to get justice. And now it's coming."
Michael Buczek was only 24 - the youngest of three children - when he and his partner, Joseph Barbato, chanced to see three men who were allegedly fleeing with a bag of cocaine and cash after ripping off a Washington Heights drug dealer in 1988.
The cops gave chase. Buczek caught one, wrapping his arms around the man who prosecutors say was Pablo Almonte Lluberes, brother of a top police official in the Dominican Republic.
As Almonte broke away, Buczek was shot, prosecutors say, by the second of the three men, Daniel Miranbeaux.
All three men, the third was allegedly Jose Fernandez, managed to escape, and fled to their native Dominican Republic.
Then began Ted Buczek's crusade. "I pushed this to the hilt," says the father who nagged the DA's office to keep on the case.
He wrote to two Dominican presidents, demanding their assistance. He also sought help - and got it - from Rep. Benjamin Gilman (R-Orange) in getting Dominican officials to cooperate in the arrest and extradition of the three suspects.
Of the three, only two will stand trial tomorrow, Almonte and Fernandez. Miranbeaux died after he fell three stories over a railing while in custody. Dominican officials called it a suicide.
"Boy, he knew police work," Ted Buczek said of his hero son. "In three years on the force, he had a record that cops with 25 years didn't have. He did his job. And he loved it."
To the suspects, he added: "You have to bow down to justice. It's time. It's time."
SLAIN COP HONORED
IN HARLEM
By PHILIP MESSING
October 19, 2002 -- About 300 cops, family members, and Harlem neighbors met yesterday to honor the memory of a NYPD cop murdered in the line of duty 14 years ago yesterday.
The intersection of Amsterdam Avenue and West 170th Street was renamed "Officer Michael Buczek Avenue" to pay homage to Buczek, who died on Oct. 18, 1988.
Buczek was fatally shot a day earlier by one of two narcotics dealers he confronted at 580 W. 161st St.
Emerald Society bagpipes played at the ceremony, during which Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly extolled the ultimate sacrifice paid by Buczek. Family members, including his father, Ted, were present for the street-sign unveiling.
Cop killing tied to con
A jailhouse snitch testified yesterday that one of two men charged in the killing of Police Officer Michael Buczek admitted his role in the shooting.
Jose Soler Medina, a restaurant manager and convicted robber, said that in 2000 he and Pablo Almonte shared a prison cell in the Dominican Republic. During that time, Almonte said he was with Daniel Mirambeaux when Mirambeaux shot the young rookie in Washington Heights in October 1988, Soler testified.
Soler also told a Manhattan Supreme Court jury that Almonte told him that moments after the shooting, two cops in a car stopped Almonte and Mirambeaux to ask if they'd heard gunfire.
He said they directed the officers to Broadway near 160th St., where Buczek lay bleeding on the sidewalk.
Almonte, 51, and Jose Fernandez, 52, are accused of participating with Mirambeaux that night in the robbery of a drug dealer. Prosecutors have said the shooting occurred as they left with cash and cocaine.
Soler said Almonte told him that Buczek grabbed him by the shoulder, but he wriggled out of his jacket, and then Mirambeaux turned and fired at the officer.
Soler said Almonte told him that he also was shot in the arm but he wasn't sure if Mirambeaux or Buczek's partner shot him. Mirambeaux died years ago in a Dominican jail.
Almost 15 years after a robbery that ended with the death of a police officer, the police say, two men were brought before a Manhattan jury yesterday to face felony murder charges.
The opening arguments were long in coming because the men, Pablo Almonte and Jose Fernandez, fled to the Dominican Republic, their home country, after Officer Michael Buczek was killed during a foot chase in Washington Heights. Their extradition took years of legal and diplomatic wrangling that ended yesterday before Justice Michael J. Obus in State Supreme Court.
Officer Buczek, 24, was shot on Oct. 18, 1988, after he and his partner chased several people suspected of robbing drug dealers in an apartment building on West 160th Street. The police said that Officer Buczek was able to grab Mr. Almonte by his jacket, but that he slipped out of it. One of Mr. Almonte's accomplices, a man who has since died mysteriously in a Dominican jail, shot the officer, they said.
"We're all here because a man is dead," David Drucker, an assistant district attorney, said yesterday. "His right to live out his life was taken away from him."
Mr. Almonte is thought to have fled on the day after the shooting to the Dominican Republic, where he remained hidden for almost 12 years. There, his brother, an army official, helped him thwart the authorities seeking his arrest, American officials have said. Mr. Almonte was finally arrested in November 2000 by a team of two Dominican National Police officers and two deputy United States marshals.
Mr. Fernandez was arrested last year. He is accused of bagging the proceeds of the robbery and fleeing the apartment building minutes, maybe seconds, before Mr. Almonte caught the officers' attention.
Mr. Drucker told the jury about an independent witness to Mr. Fernandez's involvement, and said that the prosecution had testimony from three unrelated people to whom the defendants made admissions. He also said there was DNA evidence linking Mr. Almonte to the crime.
But the defendants' lawyers, Fred Bittlingmaier and David Blackstone, derided the prosecutor's statements and told the jury that there was no case against their clients because they were not guilty of robbery in the first place.
Mr. Bittlingmaier said that his client, Mr. Almonte, was walking along Broadway on the night of the robbery when "suddenly he's approached from behind and Officer Buczek grabs him from behind, throws him down so hard his jacket comes off, and shots start flying."
Mr. Blackstone emphasized a lack of forensic evidence against Mr. Fernandez and accused the prosecution's witnesses of having cooperated to "get off the hook" from their own legal problems.
If found guilty, Mr. Almonte, 51, and Mr. Fernandez, 52, could face up to 25 years to life in prison.
'JUSTICE COMING' FOR SLAIN COP'S KIN 15 YEARS LATER
By LAURA ITALIANO
April 27, 2003 -- After a 15-year wait, the family of a cop gunned down on the job in Washington Heights will get its day in court.
Two Dominican men go on trial in Manhattan Supreme Court tomorrow for the murder of Officer Michael Buczek. There to watch the proceedings will be Buczek's brother Walter, of North Jersey, and his father Ted and sister Mary Jo, who are driving from Florida this weekend to make the court date.
Their tireless fight for justice has included leaning on investigators, congressmen and writing to two Dominican presidents.
"My son and I were very close," Ted Buczek said.
"I would have pushed this until the day I died, to get justice. And now it's coming."
Michael Buczek was only 24 - the youngest of three children - when he and his partner, Joseph Barbato, chanced to see three men who were allegedly fleeing with a bag of cocaine and cash after ripping off a Washington Heights drug dealer in 1988.
The cops gave chase. Buczek caught one, wrapping his arms around the man who prosecutors say was Pablo Almonte Lluberes, brother of a top police official in the Dominican Republic.
As Almonte broke away, Buczek was shot, prosecutors say, by the second of the three men, Daniel Miranbeaux.
All three men, the third was allegedly Jose Fernandez, managed to escape, and fled to their native Dominican Republic.
Then began Ted Buczek's crusade. "I pushed this to the hilt," says the father who nagged the DA's office to keep on the case.
He wrote to two Dominican presidents, demanding their assistance. He also sought help - and got it - from Rep. Benjamin Gilman (R-Orange) in getting Dominican officials to cooperate in the arrest and extradition of the three suspects.
Of the three, only two will stand trial tomorrow, Almonte and Fernandez. Miranbeaux died after he fell three stories over a railing while in custody. Dominican officials called it a suicide.
"Boy, he knew police work," Ted Buczek said of his hero son. "In three years on the force, he had a record that cops with 25 years didn't have. He did his job. And he loved it."
To the suspects, he added: "You have to bow down to justice. It's time. It's time."
SLAIN COP HONORED
IN HARLEM
By PHILIP MESSING
October 19, 2002 -- About 300 cops, family members, and Harlem neighbors met yesterday to honor the memory of a NYPD cop murdered in the line of duty 14 years ago yesterday.
The intersection of Amsterdam Avenue and West 170th Street was renamed "Officer Michael Buczek Avenue" to pay homage to Buczek, who died on Oct. 18, 1988.
Buczek was fatally shot a day earlier by one of two narcotics dealers he confronted at 580 W. 161st St.
Emerald Society bagpipes played at the ceremony, during which Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly extolled the ultimate sacrifice paid by Buczek. Family members, including his father, Ted, were present for the street-sign unveiling.
Cop killing tied to con
A jailhouse snitch testified yesterday that one of two men charged in the killing of Police Officer Michael Buczek admitted his role in the shooting.
Jose Soler Medina, a restaurant manager and convicted robber, said that in 2000 he and Pablo Almonte shared a prison cell in the Dominican Republic. During that time, Almonte said he was with Daniel Mirambeaux when Mirambeaux shot the young rookie in Washington Heights in October 1988, Soler testified.
Soler also told a Manhattan Supreme Court jury that Almonte told him that moments after the shooting, two cops in a car stopped Almonte and Mirambeaux to ask if they'd heard gunfire.
He said they directed the officers to Broadway near 160th St., where Buczek lay bleeding on the sidewalk.
Almonte, 51, and Jose Fernandez, 52, are accused of participating with Mirambeaux that night in the robbery of a drug dealer. Prosecutors have said the shooting occurred as they left with cash and cocaine.
Soler said Almonte told him that Buczek grabbed him by the shoulder, but he wriggled out of his jacket, and then Mirambeaux turned and fired at the officer.
Soler said Almonte told him that he also was shot in the arm but he wasn't sure if Mirambeaux or Buczek's partner shot him. Mirambeaux died years ago in a Dominican jail.
