Ex N.Y. cop convicted of fatally strangling man with zip tie, shooting 3 execution-style

NEW YORK (TCD) -- A former police officer and onetime cellmate of Jeffrey Epstein was convicted in federal court of killing four people who he alleged had stolen money from him.

The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York said in a statement a jury found Nicholas Tartaglione guilty of killing Martin Luna, his nephews Miguel Luna and Urbano Santiago, and Martin Luna’s friend Hector Gutierrez in 2015. Tartaglione was a "police officer-turned-drug dealer," and the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Tartaglione "devised a scheme to confront Martin [Luna] at a meeting" about Luna allegedly taking money from him.

Martin Luna brought the three other men with him to the meeting, where they endured what "could only be described as pure terror." According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Tartaglione used a zip tie to strangle Martin Luna to death as one of his nephews watched. Tartaglione and two other people transported Miguel Luna, Santiago, and Gutierrez to a remote location in the woods and shot them execution-style in the back of the head.

The four men were reportedly buried in a mass grave.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in the statement, "Tartaglione’s heinous acts represent a broader betrayal, as he was a former police officer who once swore to protect the very community he devastated."

Tartaglione was charged in December 2016 with the four deaths as well as conspiracy to distribute drugs. He previously worked as an officer at the Briarcliff Manor Police Department in Westchester, New York.

In June 2017, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced one of Tartaglione’s alleged associates and school security guard, Joseph Biggs, was also charged in connection with the deaths of Martin and Miguel Luna, Santiago, and Gutierrez. Tartaglione and Biggs were charged with 17 crimes.

The Associated Press reports Tartaglione once shared a cell with suspected sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein.

Tartaglione faces life in federal prison.

MORE:

• Statement Of U.S. Attorney Damian Williams On The Conviction Of Nicholas Tartaglione - U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York
• Former Police Officer Charged In White Plains Federal Court With Quadruple Homicide, 12/20/2016 - U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York
• School Security Guard Charged In White Plains Federal Court With Four Murders In Connection With Cocaine Distribution Conspiracy, 6/1/2017 - U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York
• United States of America v. Nicholas Tartaglione and Joseph Biggs
• Ex-New York suburban officer convicted in killing of 4 - The Associated Press