What if a dirty cop massaged the system to have you falsely arrested? What if that arrest was used as leverage in your child custody case? What if the cop was doing it because he's sleeping with your children's mother?
I spoke with Mickey Berlianshik and Julio Trejo, both targeted in such a scheme.
Both told me that their exes got dubious restraining order, and then each coopted a cop to falsely have them arrested for violating that restraining order.
Julio said that a car matching his description was seen near his ex-girlfriend’s home, and that was enough to trigger a scheme to have him arrested.
After he was assigned to the case, which involved an injunction against the woman's ex-boyfriend, in June 2023, Perez developed a romantic interest in the woman and pursued a relationship with her. He arrested the ex-boyfriend, Julio Trejo, a month later on charges of aggravated stalking and violating a temporary injunction. Trejo was accused of contacting the ex-girlfriend from an unknown number and driving past her house. He denied the latter allegation.
Mickey said he was falsely accused of assaulting his ex-wife during a visit.
In both cases, their exes were helped by a dirty cop- Vlad Green in Mickey’s case and Pedro Perez in Julio’s case- who triggered the false arrest.
Julio only discovered the scheme when found numerous incriminating messages on an Apple Watch.
"The false arrest of Trejo was orchestrated by the City of Homestead Police Department, officer Perez, and Trejo's then partner and the mother of his children," the lawsuit reads, going on to say that officer Perez and Trejo's ex-girlfriend arranged for Trejo's arrest "so he would miss a family court hearing and lose custody of his children."
"Officer's Perez actions, including the lack of probable cause for arrest, were unreasonable and in violation of Trejo's constitutional rights, including the right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures," the lawsuit states.
Months after his arrest, Trejo discovered some of the romantic text messages on his son's Apple Watch, which had once belonged to his ex. As New Times reported in April 2024, Trejo filed a complaint with the department over his arrest and Perez's behavior, questioning whether the arrest was related to the detective's romantic pursuit.
Mickey told me that he refused any deals and took his case to trial. Testimony at trial show that the arresting officer failed to check if there was an outstanding restraining order, and it was shown that Green and Mickey’s ex-wife met the night before she filed to discuss details of the case.
I reached out to the Homestead Police Department- which employs Perez- and the New York Police Department- which employs Green- but neither responded to an email for comment.
The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, which prosecuted Mickey, declined to comment, stating the case was under seal after a not guilty verdict.
Mickey and Julio’s frustration continued when they filed complaints with internal affairs.
Mickey said his complaint remains under investigation about three years after it was filed.
Julio told me that Homestead dragged its feet in investigating his complaint, and when an investigation started, he was informed that months of text messages had been mysteriously destroyed.
Julio said Perez got a slap on the wrist- a three-day suspension and a demotion to beat cop.
Julio discovered a pattern of Perez preying on vulnerable women and using police resources to help them in corrupt ways, but he said the Homestead Police Department refused to look at this evidence because he had sued them by the time this was discovered.
Even worse for Mickey, he said despite his triumph in criminal court, it has done little to help him in his custody case.
Shortly after being arrested, he was given a deleterious custody order. Since his exoneration, Mickey said court has been stalled waiting on a forensic report. The deleterious order remains in place.
Julio and Mickey aren’t th only ones facing such a scheme.
Joseph Goldstein is a New York Times reporter who had his story written about in the New York Post.
On Sept. 2, 2022, Goun filed for divorce — and according to the lawsuit, broke into Goldstein’s family’s apartment in Brooklyn, where the pair had previously lived, to “obtain evidence to use against Mr. Goldstein in the divorce proceeding.”
On Oct. 8, 2022, the troubled marriage devolved into a spat at their home while their two children, ages 4 and 6, were inside the apartment, court documents claim.
Goun called 911 and told cops that Goldstein slammed a door on her and bruised her arm — but her account of the encounter changed after she conferred with Newman about how to make felony charges stick during a phone call from the scene, the lawsuit alleges.
“The officer’s conclusion was unambiguous: Mr. Goldstein had not committed a crime and would not be arrested,’’ the complaint states.
Goldstein has filed suit like Mickey and Julio, and the allegations in his lawsuit look similar to Julio’s and Mickey’s.
Both Mickey and Julio believe there is a systemic problem in American policing with cops interceding in a corrupt way in child custody cases.
Check out Lauren Haidon’s story for another example of cops behaving badly and interjecting in child custody cases.
Update:
I erroneously initially stated that the incriminating messages Julio found were found on an iPhone, when it was on an Apple Watch. That has been fixed.
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