Fired NYC Detective Claims Wife Spiked Meatballs with Pot
A NYC detective who was fired for failing a drug test has sued to get his job back based on a rather unique defense.
The detective, Anthony Chiofalo, says that he failed the test because his wife spiked his meatballs with marijuana. He seeks reinstatement and back pay on the grounds that the drug test and firing were unreasonable and unconstitutional.
Chiofalo, a 22-year veteran of the force, was suspended in 2005 when a random drug test detected marijuana in his system. He denied that he had smoked pot and demanded a hearing.
During the investigation, Chiofalo’s wife said that she secretly put the equivalent of six marijuana “doobies” in a batch of meatballs in the hopes that a failed drug test would force her husband to retire. Apparently, she was deeply concerned that his job was too dangerous and couldn’t stand to see him get hurt or possibly killed. Both she and her husband passed lie detector tests, bolstering the credibility of their story.
The couple managed to convince an administrative law judge, who recommended that Chiofalo be reinstated. However, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly ignored that recommendation and fired Chiofalo.
Stay tuned to see what happens next.
