PLAINFIELD, Ind. — 13 Investigates uncovered new information about the background of a former Plainfield police officer who investigators say tried to falsely accuse a fellow officer of child abuse.
A year before moving to Indiana, court and state records show New York state stripped Valentin Khazin of his police certification. Documents also show Khazin admitted to writing a fabricated complaint against a supervisor in hopes of having him investigated.
The circumstances surrounding that incident are very similar to allegations the former Plainfield officer is currently facing in Indiana. The Henricks County prosecutor charged him with a felony count of official misconduct and a misdemeanor of false informing. Court records show Indiana State Police investigators say he devised a plot to create a letter to falsely accuse a rival officer of abusing children — verbally, physically and sexually.
Officer sued NYPD
While looking into Khazin’s background, 13 Investigates found he filed a lawsuit against the NYPD and several officers. Khazin sued because he claims his NYPD supervisors retaliated against him because he would not participate in their harassment of a Black officer. That case is ongoing.
13 Investigates reviewed the amended complaint where Khazin’s legal team wrote NYPD officers accused him of “failing to obtain permission to engage in off-duty employment, falsifying department records, failure to supervise, failing to put a car stop over the department radio among other frivolous charges.”
The court record reveals he was disciplined for those allegations.
One document says he received a 30-day suspension for “lying in his report” about a drunk driving hit-and-run case. Khazin said the investigation was fraudulent and points to it as an example of the retaliation he faced with the NYPD.
The NYC letters
Documents filed as part of Khazin’s lawsuit against the NYPD reveal two instances when Khazin admitted to making up details in anonymous letters, he sent to the department in order to spark investigations against fellow officers.
In one case, the officer was his supervisor.
A NYPD disciplinary summary from October 2018 shows Khazin admitted to making up a story to accuse his supervisor of being responsible for what he made-up to be a drunk driving crash — going as far as to create a letter from a “good Samaritan” and “jogger” who wanted to remain anonymous. The complaint provided a license plate number that belonged to Khazin's boss.
Disciplinary documents show Khazin "admitted that he wrote the letter because of some degree of anger" toward his supervisor.
During a deposition, Khazin said under oath he wrote the letter after overhearing a conversation his supervisor had with another person. A transcript of that deposition was filed as an exhibit in the lawsuit.
Question: Did he say he was drunk?
Khazin: He said he had a couple of drinks.
Question: And did he say he hit another car?
Khazin: He said that somebody hit him.
Question: And you deduced from that he hit somebody?
Khazin: Yes, I believe that he did.
Khazin also answered questions about why he decided to make up some of the details in the anonymous complaint he sent to the NYPD.
Question: Was this an anonymous jogger that you spoke to?
Khazin: No.
Question: Was this a good Samaritan that you spoke to?
Khazin: No.
Question: Was this an anonymous jogger that existed?
Khazin: No.
Question: Was it a good Samaritan that existed?
Khazin: No.
Question: So, the I was you?
Khazin: No.
Question: So, it was a figment of someone's imagination?
Khazin: It was.
During the deposition, Khazin reported he made the complaint anonymously because he did not think the department would take his concerns seriously. An NYPD attorney also questioned Khazin about whether or not he thought submitting a complaint with false information was a crime.
Question: Is making false statements to the New York City Police Department a crime?
Khazin: No, you are not under oath.
Question: So, it's not a crime to report a crime that you did not observe?
Khazin: Well –
Question: Is that your understanding?
Khazin: It's not a crime to make an allegation.
Question: So, it's not a crime to make an allegation that a crime was observed even though it was not observed?
Khazin: It is not a crime to make an allegation on a crime that I believe that had occurred.
Khazin said he sent the letter because "I was hoping for an investigation." NYPD suspended Khazin for 30 days for "making false allegations" and other misconduct.
Khazin disciplined in New York
Court documents show the NYPD thought Khazin’s actions were so “egregious” that it referred the issue to the district attorney’s office for possible prosecution” but the “Assistant District Attorney later deferred for departmental handling.”
Christopher Mercado is a retired NYPD officer and an adjunct assistant professor with the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He said he would not hire Khazin after reviewing the letter and disciplinary documents.
“If you asked me, would this be an individual I would hire, knowing that because there are impeachable components to his character? I would say no,” Mercado said.
He knows some departments are struggling to find police with experience but still would caution against such a hiring.
“There's a lot of talent out there,” Mercado said. “I tell people all the time … If a person is already questionable, at this point, I would say, 'You know what? Let's give another younger person the chance.'”
Court documents show Khazin also admitted to making up details in another complaint he submitted concerning a NYPD officer. He said that officer ultimately was “embezzling NYPD money,” but the court record provided limited details about that situation.
Khazin resigned from his position with the NYPD on March 15, 2019. His legal team wrote, for years, the conditions in New York City were "unbearable" and Khazin "couldn't take it anymore."
13 Investigates learned New York decertified Khazin that same day. That certification is required to serve as a police officer. 13 Investigates found Khazin’s name on a list of decertified officers maintained New York’s Division of Criminal Justice Services. It states he was removed “for cause” and that he resigned or retired while a disciplinary process that could result in his firing was underway.
That certification is important because it is required to be a police officer. However, each state’s decertification process is different. In Indiana, decertification will bar a person from working as a police officer in the state going forward. In 2019, decertification in New York left open the possibility that another department could hire and re-train an officer and reinstate the certification. In 2021, that changed, and now decertification is a career-ending move in New York if a police officer is removed for cause. While decertification could end a policing career in an individual state, that does not always apply across state lines.
Khazin’s lawsuit against NYPD is still pending. The police agency has asked the court for summary judgement, to rule in its favor and end the case, but no decision has been made.
Khazin hired in Plainfield
When 13 Investigates asked Plainfield police if the department knew Khazin was decertified before it hired him, neither a town spokeswoman nor a police deputy chief gave a direct answer. The most recent statement the town sent to 13 Investigates says the following:
“Mr. Valentin Khazin is no longer affiliated with the Plainfield Police Department. A thorough background check, consistent with our standard procedure for all applicants, was conducted during his hiring process. Mr. Khazin was recommended for hire by his previous agency.
We are attaching letters of recommendation and training certifications from officials within the New York Police Department (NYPD) for your reference.”
The department shared recommendation letters it received from two NYPD officers. One person described Khazin as “a trustworthy individual." The other said Khazin is “a true Police Officer at heart.”
Neither letter, nor any of the documents Plainfield shared with 13 Investigates, mentioned his decertification.
Law enforcement experts tell 13 Investigates a thorough background check should have confirmed Khazin's decertification and his disciplinary history.
Robert Girod is a professor at Indiana State University's School of Criminology and Security Studies.
“There is a lot of interpersonal and organizational politics involved in law enforcement,” Girod said. “So sometimes, that officer might run afoul of the administration or an individual where they work.
"So, another chance could be warranted. It depends on what the issue is. If they've been caught lying, there's really, there's no going back," Girod said.
Both Girod and Mercado said police departments in different states may be willing to hire a decertified officer depending on the circumstances that led up to the person losing their certification.
“What is the extent of the investigation?” Mercado said. “It could be an internal dispute between two officers, that technically is an internal investigation. Or it could be something as serious as this officer was tied to a theft ring in a precinct."
Still, both Girod and Mercado said any decertification on a prospective employee’s record should make a department pause before hiring and ask a lot of questions. They said a thorough background check is critical.
"In the cases where you have corrupt officers, or you have people involved in malfeasance, you can't keep passing the garbage along,” Mercado said. “You know, pass along the problem."
Criminal charges in Indiana
Right now, Khazin is at the center of a criminal investigation in Hendricks County.
He is accused of devising a plot to accuse another officer of child abuse. In the probable cause affidavit accompanying the charges, investigators say Khazin wanted to tarnish that officer’s reputation since he and the other officer were vying for the same promotion.
The Indiana State Police’s investigation prompted the Hendricks County prosecutor to dismiss 79 pending misdemeanor and infraction cases in which he was the lead detective. The prosecutor’s office is also reviewing Khazin’s involvement in 24 pending felony cases to see if they can move forward without his testimony.
Plainfield police say Khazin resigned shortly after Chief Kyle Prewitt initiated disciplinary action against him.
Paul Luecke, a clerk at the Speedway convenience store in Plainfield, contacted police about the scheme in June. Court documents show Luecke told investigators Khazin walked into his store while in uniform. The clerk said the officer asked him to use artificial intelligence to create three letters to send to the mayor, police chief and school superintendent accusing another police officer of abusing children — verbally, physically, and sexually.
"If he's willing to do this to another cop, what is he willing to do to somebody else?” Luecke asked 13 Investigates the day those charges were filed.
Luecke said he helped state police with a sting to get video and audio evidence against Khazin. State police created a letter for Luecke to show to Khazin.
"He looked down at it, and he turned his head, and he gave me two thumbs up, and he said, 'That'll work,'" Luecke said.
The Plainfield native said at one point, he thought Khazin spotted the hidden camera he was wearing.
"In that moment, I thought he knew,” Luecke said. "I thought he knew 100%.”
Khazin is now scheduled for an initial hearing on Oct. 5. A special judge and special prosecutor, both from Morgan County, have been appointed. 13 Investigates reached out to Khazin’s attorneys. They declined to comment for this story.