In a startling revelation, an NYPD officer has been arrested for perjury after bodycam footage contradicted his testimony in a gun possession case. On Wednesday, prosecutors in Queens announced that Officer Miguel Vanbrakle faces charges after allegedly planting evidence and lying under oath.
The incident stems from the October 19, 2023 arrest of Shiloh Brown, who was charged with gun possession following a search warrant executed at his fiancée’s residence. The case against Brown crumbled when it was discovered that Vanbrakle, 48, had manipulated evidence. Specifically, he was accused of placing Brown’s benefit card next to a .38-caliber Smith & Wesson revolver, which was locked in a safe under the bed in the Cambria Heights home.
Vanbrakle had testified to a grand jury, claiming he found the benefit card alongside the gun in the safe. However, this account was challenged when Brown’s fiancée disclosed that the firearm belonged to her grandfather, not Brown. Furthermore, DNA analysis later confirmed that Brown had never handled the weapon.
The turning point in unraveling Vanbrakle’s narrative came from his own body-worn camera. The footage revealed the officer initially discovered the benefit card inside a shoebox in the living room, only to later place it near the revolver once the safe was accessed in a back bedroom. This evidence of tampering has led to the dismissal of the charges against Brown, as prosecutors now pursue legal action against Vanbrakle for his misconduct.
Brown’s fiancee told cops her grandfather owned the gun, not Brown, officials said. DNA tests conducted later indicated Brown had never handled the weapon.
A review of footage from Vanbrakle’s bodycam showed the officer planted evidence, prosectuors charge. The camera recorded him finding the benefit card in a shoebox in the living room and placing it next to the revolver once the safe was opened in a back bedroom, prosecutors said.
“As alleged, this officer was sworn to uphold the law and instead planted evidence in a gun possession case, perjured himself and lied on official documents,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement. “As a result of the defendant’s alleged actions, an individual had felony gun charges pending against him for more than a year.”
The NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau first investigated the allegations against Vanbrakle and referred the case to the Queens DA for prosecution, a department spokesman said. Vanbrakle was suspended without pay when he was arrested.
The officer is a 12-year veteran of the department. Over the years he’s made 128 felony arrests and 127 misdemeanor arrests, according to his department profile. He lives in the Belle Harbor section of the Rockaways, according to the D.A.’s office.
All charges against Brown were dismissed on Dec. 6, 2024, but he remained under prosecution for more than 400 days before Vanbrakle’s alleged crimes were discovered, according to his attorney Alex Klein of Barket Epstein Kearon Aldea & LoTurco, who is suing the city for false arrest.
“Being a police officer is a tough job. It’s why the vast majority of police officers deserve such respect,” Klein told the Daily News Wednesday. “But being a police officer is also unusual because of the damage they can cause.”
“You higher the wrong painter you might have to add another coat of paint,” he added. “You come across the wrong cop and your life can be destroyed. We need to make sure we’re hiring and keeping the right people. In those cases that the wrong people are in uniform and we find them engaging in egregious behaviors, the stiffest of penalties need to be imposed.”
“We look forward to pushing the case forward aggressively,” Klein said of the civil suit.
