Arguments about the credibility of one witness, a former Suffolk County Police Department lieutenant, consumed much of the opening statements in the trial of former Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota and his former unit chief Christopher McPartland in the Eastern District of New York on Thursday.

Spota and McPartland are charged with obstruction of justice and related offenses in connection with the concealment of a 2013 assault of a man arrested in Suffolk County after breaking into then-police chief James Burke's car, according to federal prosecutors.

Burke was convicted of conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice and sentenced to nearly four years in prison in 2016. He was released this spring.

One of Burke's former lieutenants, James Hickey, was assigned to prevent the Suffolk County detectives involved in the assault from talking about it, Assistant U.S. Attorney Justina Geraci told the jury during her opening statement.

Geraci said Hickey was under a tremendous amount of pressure from Burke and Spota to keep the detectives in line. She acknowledged that Hickey broke the law and is cooperating because he hopes for leniency at his own sentencing.

"Just like Jimmy Burke, Hickey went from cop to criminal … you won't like what he's done," Geraci said.

Hickey was hospitalized twice during the course of the coverup, Geraci said—once for symptoms associated with alcoholism and then, after he had quit drinking, for severe stress and sleep deprivation.

Larry Krantz of Krantz & Berman, who is representing McPartland, characterized the hospitalizations differently as soon as he had a chance to address the jury.

"Hallucinations. Delusions. Paranoia. Alcoholism. Raw self-interest," Krantz said with no prelude. "That is what this case is actually about."

Krantz questioned whether Hickey could clearly remember the events he planned to testify about, considering that he had been suffering seriously from alcoholism during major parts of the case and was hospitalized for acute pancreatitis. Two years later, he said, Hickey was hospitalized after hearing voices and seeing people who were not actually present.

"The heart and soul of the government's case rests on the credibility of just one witness—James Hickey," Krantz said, arguing that no other witness has first-hand information and that the government lacks written or recorded evidence of the alleged cover-up.

Two of the detectives involved in the assault will also testify, Geraci said, in addition to the Suffolk County assistant district attorney who was assigned to handle the car burglary despite working in McPartland's anti-corruption unit.

Krantz told jurors that Hickey's medical history was only revealed in 2019 and the government is "stuck" after making a deal with him.

Alan Vinegrad of Covington & Burling, who is representing Spota, echoed some of Krantz's points about Hickey, telling the jury he has "every reason in the world to lie."

Krantz said that instead of being part of a cover-up, McPartland was one of the many people Burke lied to about what happened.

Vinegrad acknowledged that Burke and Spota have a long relationship—before he was chief, Burke was assigned to lead a detectives' squad inside Spota's office—but he said Spota's interest in the case and general support for Burke does not make him part of a conspiracy.

Geraci urged jurors not to be impressed by the resumes or reputations of Spota and McPartland.

"Criminals come in all shapes and sizes," she said. "They even wear suits and take oaths of office as prosecutors."

U.S. District Judge Joan Azrack is presiding over the trial, which is expected to last several weeks.