A New York state senator was arrested Tuesday along with several other politicians in an alleged bribery plot to rig the upcoming New York City mayoral election.
Democratic state Senator Malcolm Smith tried to bribe some of the New York City Republican Party leaders in order to get himself added onto the ballot as a GOP candidate.
New York City Councilman Dan Halloran was also charged, along with four other political figures.
The situation was called "an unappetizing smorgasbord of graft and greed involving six officials who together built a corridor of corruption stretching from Queens and the Bronx to Rockland County and all the way up to Albany itself," by U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, in an apt metaphor that captured the contradiction in the intention and actions of the political figures with the cooperation needed for both literal and metaphorical bridge building.
Smith "tried to bribe his way to a shot at Gracie Mansion," Bharara said in a statement, referring the official residence of the mayor. "Smith drew up the game plan and Councilman Halloran essentially quarterbacked that drive by finding party chairmen who were wide open to receiving bribes."
The scandal was uncovered through the work of an undercover FBI agent and a cooperating witness. Posing as a wealthy real estate developer, the FBI agent and witness met with Smith, where Smith agreed to bribe leaders of Republican Party county committees around New York City in an attempt to run for mayor as a Republican, event though he was a registered democrat, according to the criminal complaint.
It makes a person wonder about the level of paperwork involved in changing parties.
In exchange for payments to Bronx County Republican Party Chairman Joseph Savino and Queens County Republican Party Vice Chairman Vincent Tabone, Smith agreed to use his power as a senator to obtain state funds for a road project in Spring Valley. That would then, in turn, benefit a real estate project Smith believed was being built by the undercover agent's company in suburban Spring Valley, according to the complaint.
The whole situation sounds like an episode of "White Collar."
Savino and Tabone are also being charged, along with Spring Valley Mayor Noramie Jasmin and Spring Valley Deputy Mayor Joseph Desmaret.
The charges in the case include bribery, extortion, and wire and mail fraud, according to Bharara. Smith denies any wrongdoing, according to his lawyer, Gerald L. Shargel, who spoke to the New York Times.
"Malcolm Smith is a dedicated and highly respected public servant and he steadfastly denies these charges," Shargel said.
"The theme of the week is 'Tell the truth,'" Smith tweeted less than a week ago, on March 28.
The Democratic field in the mayoral race has several candidates, and getting on the GOP ballot would allow a candidate to sidestep the primary process in a heavily democratic area like New York City. Smith had indicated his interest in running in the Republican primary, but as a registered democrat, the rules require approval by three of the five county chairmen to get on the ballot.
"Public service is not supposed to be a shortcut to self-enrichment.... As alleged, these defendants did not obey the law. They broke the law, and the public trust," FBI New York Director George Venizelos said in a statement.
Smith was elected to the State Senate in a special election in 2000.
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