A former NYPD officer who allegedly lied under oath has been hired by the Rockland County District Attorney’s office.
The office sought a waiver from the state to hire Matthew Wohl as a confidential investigator, a position that pays $94,000 per year in addition to his police pension. Waivers are required for government employees who wish to collect both pensions and salaries from government agencies exceeding $35,000 annually.
The former officer, who retired from the NYPD in July 2021, testified in the 2005 trial of a protester arrested in Manhattan during the 2004 Republican National Convention. He stated that he assisted in carrying the kicking and screaming protester down the New York Public Library steps.
However, a video reportedly contradicted Wohl’s account, showing the protester descending the stairs on his own with no officer in sight. This resulted in the dismissal of the case by prosecutors and an investigation by the FBI. It appears Wohl was not charged, and it is unknown whether he was disciplined.
The Bronx District Attorney’s office included Wohl on a list of officers with potential credibility issues.
The Post reported this week that at least 16 police officers arrested between 2017 and 2021 were allowed to keep their jobs despite being found guilty of the alleged offenses by an NYPD administrative trial judge.
According to a state document analyzing the waiver application obtained by The Post, the DA’s office argued it needed to hire Wohl because two other applicants did not meet the minimum requirements for the position. However, the document oddly listed the minimum qualifications as “N/A.”
State law requires agencies seeking waivers to demonstrate that “extensive recruitment efforts have been made to fill the vacancy” and that “there are no qualified non-retired individuals available to perform the duties of the position.”
According to a source, Wohl is one of six double dippers in District Attorney Tom Walsh’s office.
Peter Walker, a former detective and public information officer for the Clarkstown Police Department in Rockland, is among the others with waivers. According to public records, he now earns $191,000 as the DA’s chief criminal investigator, a significant promotion, in addition to a $144,000 pension.
A source familiar with the DA’s office stated, “It’s absolutely unbelievable.”
The listed press contacts for the office, Walsh and Walker, did not respond to requests for comment. A man who answered a phone number for Wohl and stated he was not the retired officer denied being him.
»Ex-NYC officer accused of perjury gets $94K DA job«