WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) - Bernard Kerik, a protege of Rudy Giuliani who once led the nation's largest police department, pleaded not guilty Friday to a wide-ranging indictment charging him with "selling his office" and lying to cover up the scheme.
Kerik's case could prove to be an ongoing embarrassment for Giuliani, who is seeking the Republican nomination for president.
The indictment accuses Kerik, the former New York City police commissioner, of conspiring while a public official with a mob-connected construction firm to accept tens of thousands of dollars in renovations to his Bronx apartment, and then lying to cover up the scheme. It also claims he made false statements during his failed bid to head the nation's homeland security department. "This is a battle," Kerik said, fighting through a media crush as he left court. "I'm going to fight."
