NYPD detective, brother of RVC police officer, commits suicide

New York Police Department Detective Paul Federico, 53, brother of Rockville Centre Police Officer Anthony Federico, committed suicide in Queens on Monday, according to police.

"Today, we tragically lost another member of the NYPD family," NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea tweeted. “If you or anyone you know is going through something, help is available." 

Paul Federico, who was on modified duty with the NYPD and off duty at the time of the incident, was a 29-year veteran of the department and a 9/11first responder. The police said he died at his mother’s house in Middle Village around 12:30 p.m. Officials said he leaves behind a wife and two adult children.

Two years ago, Anthony Federico, 39, was acquitted on charges of felony assault and falsifying police records for allegedly assaulting two brothers. He was found not guilty on all charges. The assault charges stemmed from a May 2016 incident in which Federico was responding to a fight outside a South Park Avenue bar. After a nearly two-week trial, Nassau County Supreme Court Judge Christopher Quinn found him not guilty on all counts. 

Prosecutors said Anthony Federico had applied undue force when he struck village resident Kevin Kavanagh over the head with his Taser, opening a 6-centimeter laceration that required staples to close. Kavanagh’s brother, Brendan, was also involved in the tussle. The brothers, along with Alyson Gallo, of Smithtown, who was out with them that night and recorded the incident on her phone, filed a civil suit in May 2017 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. The case was discontinued on March 26, 2019.

Federico remains a police officer in the village’s department. He was restored to full duty after his acquittal. 

Ben Strack contributed to this story