The detective on trial for perjury after a 17-year-old secretly recorded the cop questioning him on an MP3 player was found guilty today by a Bronx judge.
Det. Christopher Perino, a 22-year NYPD veteran who opted for a bench trial, was found guilty of three perjury charges by a judge in Bronx Supreme Court.
The NYPD said it suspended Perino, 43, without pay pending termination.
The verdict could also cost Perino his pension — while Erik Crespo, the teen who recorded him, is serving seven years after prosecutors let him plead guilty to weapons possession — less than the original charge of attempted murder.
Perino, who appeared teary-eyed after the verdict was read, could face up to 21 years behind bars.
Each perjury count carries a 7-year prison term.
At Crespo’s trial two years ago, Perino stated emphatically that he never interviewed the suspect before his aunt and mother had arrived at the 44th Precinct station house. Prosecutors were blindsided during the 2007 trial when Crespo’s lawyers introduced the MP3 recording as evidence.