For seven years, they were called crooked cops.
Gregory Makras and James Panagoulakos were among five Edison police officers accused in 2018 of lining their pockets through no-show work.
Now they are threatening to sue their police department for $20 million, saying the cases against them ruined their lives — only for them to beat the charges.
And they’re also demanding to be put back on duty.
“Reinstatement. Backpay. Attorney fees,” Panagoulakos’ attorney Charles Sciarra said Tuesday in a statement listing what he claims Edison owes his client. “And damages if somebody doesn’t start to make some smart decisions soon.”
The legal threats renew a messy saga that was supposed to end this summer when Middlesex County prosecutors dropped charges against Makras and Panagoulakos after both agreed to resign from their scandal-prone force.
The pair say that because their cases were dismissed, they are entitled to hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost wages and legal bills. But Edison disagrees and is moving forward with internal discipline that could make it harder for them to collect.
Edison wants to fire the officers — even though they submitted letters of resignation — with Police Chief Thomas Bryan informing them in July that their letters “cannot be formally accepted at this time.” That decision led Makras and Panagoulakos to rescind their resignations and insist they be put back on the payroll and their once comfortably six-figure salaries.
The drama continues.
The officers’ claims of exoneration are unfounded, Edison Township Attorney Louis Rainone wrote in a legal filing. He accused them of “absurdly” seeking to reverse their agreement with prosecutors to resign, saying it was always anticipated the township would pursue discipline based on the accusations.
——–