Feds: Retired cop killed 4 men in drug deal

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - A former cop in upstate New York is accused of the grisly, "gangland-style" murder of four men back in April, according to federal authorities.

The U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York has charged Nicholas Tartaglione, 49, of Otisville, New York, in connection with conspiring to sell cocaine and murdering Martin Luna, Urbano Santiago, Miguel Luna, and Hector Gutierrez as part of that drug conspiracy. He pleaded not guilty.

Federal officials said Tartaglione participated in the killing of the four men in or around a bar called Likquid Lounge in Chester in April. The men hadn't been seen or heard from since April 11. Officials said some of the men were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"The despicable acts of murder are more egregious in this case because the alleged murderer, a former police officer, once swore to serve and protect people from harm," FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William Sweeney Jr. said in a statement. "We hope the victims' families and community find some solace in an arrest being made."

Tartaglione is a retired Briarcliff Manor police officer. Authorities searched his property for evidence. One report says officers and agents found four bodies.