What was Joseph L. Bruno, the former Senate majority leader in Albany found guilty of on Monday?
Joseph L. Bruno, the former Senate majority leader and a towering figure in state politics, was found guilty on Monday afternoon of failing to disclose hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of gifts disguised as consulting fees from a businessman who sought grants and other help from the Legislature. After seven days of deliberating, the jury in Mr. Bruno’s federal corruption trial handed down a guilty verdict on two felony counts. They found Mr. Bruno not guilty on five counts and could not reach a verdict on another count. Sources: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/08/nyregion/08bruno.
Joseph L. Bruno, the former Senate majority leader who, until his retirement a year ago, was one of the most powerful figures in New York politics, was found guilty on Monday of concealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments from a businessman who sought help from the Legislature. The conviction marked a humiliating fall for Mr. Bruno, a Korean War veteran and a former boxer, whose jovial manner masked the iron hand he used to rule the Senate with almost untrammeled authority for nearly 14 years. His retirement came amid a federal corruption investigation. The verdict also blackened the already tarnished reputation of Albany’s political establishment, casting a harsh light on the ways lawmakers blend official and personal business and raising questions about why it took a federal prosecution to uncover Mr. Bruno’s conduct. After deliberating for nearly seven days, the jury of seven women and five men in Mr. Bruno’s trial found him guilty of two felony counts of mail fraud. The
ALBANY — Joseph L. Bruno, the former Senate majority leader and a towering figure in state politics, was found guilty on Monday afternoon of failing to disclose hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of gifts disguised as consulting fees from a businessman who sought grants and other help from the Legislature. Skip to next paragraph Related Times Topics: Joseph L. Bruno Readers’ Comments Share your thoughts. * Post a Comment » * Read All Comments (115) » After seven days of deliberating, the jury in Mr. Bruno’s federal corruption trial handed down a guilty verdict on two felony counts. They found Mr. Bruno not guilty on five counts and could not reach a verdict on another count. Mr. Bruno, 80, who was once the top Republican in New York and one of the state’s most powerful politicians, faces up to 20 years and a $250,000 fine on each felony count. He is sure to appeal, and the Supreme Court is preparing to review the controversial “theft of honest services” statute underlying his case.
