NYPD officer charged with rape, child sex crimes previously admitted to misconduct on the job, records show

A New York City police officer arrested Wednesday night on charges including rape and sexual acts against a child previously admitted to violating department rules, including engaging in a dangerous high-speed chase and allegedly failing to activate his body camera, the district attorney's office says.

The 39-year-old officer, Joshua Acosta, was taken into custody while he was off duty around 7:46 p.m. within Brooklyn’s 61st Precinct, an NYPD spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital. The precinct covers part of southern Brooklyn.

An 11-count criminal complaint alleges Acosta committed numerous sex acts against a girl when she was younger than 13 and younger than 17 years old. The alleged abuse lasted from September 2021 until June 2026, the complaint said.

Acosta's defense attorneys, Jason Goldman and David Gelfand, told Fox News Digital that while the allegations against him are "undoubtedly serious," they are "demonstrably false."

"While it is deeply unfortunate that Officer Acosta has had his reputation smeared, we look forward to clearing his name through the proper channels once all the facts come to light," they said in a statement.

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Documents from the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office — the same office that is now prosecuting Acosta — show he was the subject of multiple civilian complaints years before his arrest.

Acosta admitted fault over an incident that occurred while he was on patrol in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, the documents obtained by Fox News Digital showed.

On Jan. 4, 2019, Acosta initiated a pursuit of a suspect and topped out at 56 mph "without taking into consideration the nature of the offense, time of day, location, population density and police necessity," the documents said.

Acosta allegedly failed to activate his bodycam during the chase or during the ensuing traffic stop, the documents said.

The case was closed on July 30, 2020, and Acosta's punishment was him forfeiting 15 vacation days, according to the documents.
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Two other complaints against Acosta were filed with the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB), the city agency tasked with investigating and prosecuting misconduct by NYPD officers.

While one case was listed as pending, the CCRB was able to substantiate allegations made about an incident that occurred on Sept. 26, 2019.

The CCRB said Acosta engaged in abuse involving a verbal or physical threat of force, entry of premises and a frisk, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office. For this, he was subjected to Schedule B command discipline, which is more serious than Schedule A.

There were two other cases against Acosta, with one involving an armed robbery suspect who had been chased inside a home on June 19, 2019, according to a CCRB review document obtained by Fox News Digital.

Acosta entered the residence after the suspect was handcuffed and searched through "several drawers and rooms," according to the CCRB document. He allegedly later told investigators that he did not receive orders to conduct the search and had only done so to locate possible guns, according to the CCRB.

On August 4, 2021, an inspector with the Police Commissioner's Office sent a letter to the CCRB saying that Acosta would receive training on how to conduct lawful searches of private property.

"While Officer Acosta's limited search was unauthorized, he did not receive any guidance from available supervisors at the scene and clearly engaged in his actions in good faith," the letter said.

The remaining case against Acosta, which was listed as pending, alleged that he responded to a family dispute on August 29, 2020, and failed to "conduct a proper field investigation," according to the document from the Brooklyn DA.

David Gelfand, Acosta's attorney, said the allegations of misconduct as a police officer are irrelevant to his case.

"Law enforcement has one of the most difficult jobs in our society. They are routinely criticized and vilified, with every step they take under a microscope. The fact that Officer Acosta has been the subject of 3 [to] 4 such accusations over the course of 14 years is neither relevant nor noteworthy. We look forward to fighting his case on the merits and clearing his name of the baseless accusations lodged against him," Gelfand said in a statement.

The Brooklyn DA's office declined to comment beyond what is contained in the disclosure documents.

The NYPD did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.