2 firefighters accept discipline in sex scandal
2 of the 7 men involved in a years-long sexual-abuse case have waived their right to a trial board.
TWO OF THE SEVEN firefighters embroiled in a lurid sex scandal have decided to accept their punishment, officials said yesterday.
The two men had been scheduled to appear in front of a disciplinary trial board yesterday in response to allegations that a troubled young paramedic was goaded into performing humiliating, unwanted sex acts - some of which reportedly were filmed by the participants and shared without her permission - since joining the department in 2011.
But the men - whose identities and ranks weren't disclosed - "elected to take suspensions and waive the trial board," Frank Keel, a spokesman for International Association of Fire Fighters Local 22, said in an email statement.
The parameters of their discipline are unclear. Yesterday's hearings were to be the first in a series stretched over the next few days, with two firefighters at a time facing the panel, according to sources.
Neither Keel nor Local 22 president Joe Schulle responded to requests for comment last night.
The city Inspector General's Office investigated the allegations earlier this year and recommended disciplinary charges against seven men: battalion chiefs Richard Bossert and James Renninger; fire Capt. Robert Taylor; fire Lt. Albert Saunders; paramedic Patrick Carey; and firefighters Theodore Speights and Joseph Taylor.
All are charged with "any conduct which adversely affects the morale or efficiency of the bureau to which an employee is assigned, or any conduct which has a tendency to destroy public respect for municipal employees and confidence in the operation of municipal services." Others also face charges including neglect of duty.
But the paramedic at the center of the scandal - whose name the Daily News is withholding - never complained about Bossert, who had no sexual relationship with her, nor about Renninger, who dated her consensually, sources said.
That's a far cry from some of the scandal's alleged encounters, including an instance in which the woman was filmed nude, barking as she was led around a firehouse on a leash attached to a dog collar, a source who viewed the video told the Daily News.
The woman has a history of mental illness and has attempted suicide twice, according to those sources.
- Staff writer Dana DiFilippo
contributed to this report.