| Notes |
A high-ranking Buffalo Police official and his wife sent a letter to a federal judge in 2006, seeking a lenient sentence for Peter G. Gerace Jr., who pleaded guilty to a felony in a telemarketing fraud case, court records show.
The April 21, 2006 letter – describing Gerace as a close friend for 18 years – was signed "Michelle and Dan Derenda."
At the time the letter was written, Derenda was a deputy police commissioner. He was appointed the city's police commissioner in 2010, a post he held until he retired in January 2018.
“My husband being a police officer and myself being a registered nurse … it’s important to surround ourselves and our family with good people,” stated the letter, signed in one person’s handwriting as “Michelle and Dan Derenda.”
The letter described Gerace as a “considerate,” “respectful” and “hardworking businessman” who “certainly poses no threat to society.” |