Here is another republican who actually was still popular after being released
from jail. At least his daughter was pretty:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_J._Velella
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Miriam Vieni
Sent: Friday, October 21, 2016 1:43 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Politics in my coounty, : the Tea Party county
executive
Many years ago, we had a popular Nassau County Republican politician who was
jailed for corruption. His wife contributed money to Helen Keller Services for
the Blind, and also did volunteer work there, I think. Anyway, the electorate
loved him so much that when he ran for office again, from jail, they elected
him.
Miriam
BY: Robert E. Kessler Robert E. Kessler Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano
and Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto were arrested Thursday and charged
with receiving "bribes and kickbacks" from a businessman who also gave
Mangano's wife a lucrative no-show job, federal authorities said.
The federal corruption charges center on a relationship involving Mangano,
Venditto and a person identified only as a co-conspirator in the 13-count
indictment, but whom sources identified as Long Island restaurateur Harendra
Singh. Republicans Mangano, 54, of Bethpage, and Venditto, 67, of North
Massapequa, are charged with conspiracy to commit bribery, fraud and
obstruction of justice. Mangano is also charged with extortion, and Venditto
with making false statements to federal agents. "Sadly, we're getting
confronted with public officials who are alleged to have abused their positions
of trust, in this case the highest-ranking elected official in Nassau County
and in the Town of Oyster Bay, for their own corrupt benefit, thereby abusing
the public trust," Robert L. Capers, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of
New York, said at a news conference. "Mr. Mangano and Mr. Venditto received
bribes and kickbacks from their co-conspirator on an on-demand basis or as
opportunities arose in connection with business dealings in Nassau County or
the Town of Oyster Bay," Capers said. Mangano's wife, Linda, is charged with
obstruction and making false statements. Capers said she received more than
$450,000 from the no-show job from April 2010, months after her husband took
office, to August 2014. One of her phony jobs was to serve as a "food taster,"
he said. Authorities accuse Edward Mangano and Venditto of scheming to award
Singh contracts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to provide food services
to county agencies and secure multimillion-dollar loan guarantees for his
businesses. In exchange, Mangano and Venditto received gifts from the
co-conspirator, including "hotel and travel expenses, limousine services, free
meals and other gifts," according to the indictment. Among the gifts Mangano
received were a massage chair worth $3,600, an ergonomic office chair worth
$3,300, a Panerai Luminor watch worth $7,300 and installation of hardwood
flooring in his bedroom, authorities said. In return for helping the
businessesman, Venditto got use of a private room at a restaurant, free
chauffeur service for himself and his family, and discounted fundraisers at a
restaurant, according to the indictment. The restaurants are not identified in
the indictment, but sources said the fundraisers were at Woodlands at the Town
of Oyster Bay golf course, previously operated by Singh, and the private room
was at Singh's flagship restaurant in Bethpage, H.R. Singletons. News of the
arrests spurred some Republican politicians to immediately call for Venditto
and Mangano to resign. If convicted of the top count, they face up to 20 years
in prison. The charges resulted from an investigation by federal prosecutors,
and FBI and IRS agents. At their arraignments at federal court in Central
Islip, all three pleaded not guilty through their attorneys and were each
released on $500,000 bond. Linda Mangano, 54, wept during the brief arraignment
before U.S. District Judge Sandra Feuerstein in Central Islip. Capers said
Edward Mangano was charged with extortion for demanding that Singh provide the
no-show job for his wife. The Manganos and Venditto are also accused of
obstructing justice in an attempt to cover up the alleged scheme, Capers said.
Linda Mangano and Venditto lied to federal agents who questioned them,
according to the indictment. In return for the money and favors from Singh,
official actions taken by Mangano and Venditto included helping Singh get the
Town of Oyster Bay's guarantee on four loans totaling more than $20 million,
authorities said. According to the indictment, Mangano "pressured" Venditto to
amend Oyster Bay contracts to benefit the co-conspirator. The businessman also
got two lucrative contracts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to provide
food services to various county agencies. One contract involved the supply of
$200,000 worth of bread and rolls to the Nassau County jail in June 2012; the
second was for providing $237,000 worth of food to county workers in the
aftermath of superstorm Sandy, the indictment said. After the arraignment,
Mangano said he had no plans to step down and promised evidence "that rebuts
any of this nonsense - that I would ever do anything that sacrifices this oath
of office. He said the case involves a friend of the family for 25 years but
did not elaborate. Singh is a longtime friend of Mangano. "It's ridiculous, but
I can't say any more," Mangano said. "I'm going to continue to govern.
I'm going to go to work. America's the greatest country in the world. And
you'll have an opportunity to hear everything and decide for yourselves. God
bless you. Mangano's lawyer, Kevin Keating of Garden City, refuted the
allegations that the county executive was involved in a scheme to get Singh
county contracts. "The indictment is utterly devoid of any coherent allegation
that Mr. Mangano engaged in any official action for Mr. Singh - as he did not,"
Keating said in a statement. "These charges will be vigorously defended as Mr.
Mangano continues to serve the County. The attorney also disputed the
allegations involving Oyster Bay, saying Mangano "had absolutely no authority
or influence over any decision Oyster Bay officials made to extend to Mr. Singh
a loan guarantee. There is no record of Singh getting paid for providing bread
to the jail, and sources said he withdrew from fulfilling the contract. But it
would be a crime to obtain the contract in a corrupt manner even if it wasn't
fulfilled. Keating declined to respond to a question about the jail contract.
Linda Mangano's attorney, John Carman of Garden City, declined to comment
afterward. Venditto did not comment Thursday, but his attorney, Brian Griffin
of Garden City, said in a
statement: "John Venditto has served the citizens of the Town of Oyster Bay for
40 years, with great distinction. He has been diligent, caring and ethical
throughout his years of service. "Although Mr. Venditto takes this indictment
seriously, to be very clear, he has entered a not guilty plea and intends to
defend against it vigorously," Griffin said. Griffin declined to say whether
Venditto plans to continue in office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Treinis Gatz
said during the arraignment that the government wants to have Griffin removed
as Venditto's attorney because the federal investigation is continuing into
Nassau County and the Town of Oyster Bay, and Griffin has a conflict of
interest. Gatz, who is conducting the overall corruption investigation along
with prosecutors Catherine Mirabile and Raymond Tierney, said Griffin
represents other people involved in the investigation. Gatz did not name the
others, but Griffin also represents Mangano's chief deputy, Rob Walker, who has
acknowledged that he is part of an ongoing investigation into Nassau contracts.
Walker has not been charged with any crimes and has denied any wrongdoing.
Griffin said he had explained the situation to Venditto, who had no objection
to Griffin continuing to represent him. Feuerstein gave the government until
Oct. 28 to submit motions as to why Griffin should be removed. Anthony La
Pinta, the attorney for Singh, who has been reported by Newsday to be in plea
negotiations with prosecutors, declined to comment on the status of Singh's
cooperation with the government, if any. In a statement released after the
hearing, La Pinta
said: "My priority is to provide Harendra Singh with the most powerful legal
defense possible and to continue to fight for him, regardless of who else is
charged in this investigation. I remain committed to protecting Mr. Singh's
rights and ensuring that his case proceeds in a fair and favorable manner.
According to sources familiar with the government's case, it did not depend on
Singh's cooperation. In Long Island's Eastern District, Singh faces more than
10 years in prison if convicted on a September 2015 indictment charging him
with fraud and with bribing a former Oyster Bay Town employee. On Wednesday,
sources said Singh is negotiating with federal prosecutors to avoid future
indictments and get a lesser sentence. With Ted Phillips and Paul LaRocco
Timeline of Harendra Singh's ties to Edward Mangano, John Venditto January 2010
to February 2015: Prosecutors said Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano and
Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto engage in a scheme to solicit bribes
from a restaurateur, identified by sources as Harendra Singh. April 2010 to
August 2014: Prosecutors said Linda Mangano, the county executive's wife, gets
paid more than $450,000 for a job with Singh, doing "little to no work," while
Singh gets contracts with Nassau County and Town of Oyster Bay, including
concession agreements. January 2010 to December 2013: Prosecutors said Singh is
granted loan for $20 million guaranteed by amendments to concession agreements
with Town of Oyster Bay.
Edward Mangano "pressures" Venditto to vote on town board resolutions to amend
concession agreements on Singh's behalf. January 2010 to February
2015: The Manganos receive massage chair, Panerai Luminor watch, and hardwood
flooring from Singh, prosecutors said. March 2014 to December 2015:
FBI serves eight grand jury subpoenas on Town of Oyster Bay. Jan. 13, 2015:
FBI interviews Linda Mangano at Bethpage residence. Jan. 15, 2015 to
present: The Manganos meet with FBI and "fabricate stories" to explain Linda
Mangano's employment. Feb. 3, 2015: FBI serves Linda Mangano with grand jury
subpoena also requesting records related to employment for Singh. May 20,
2015: Linda Mangano provides "fabricated examples of work" she performed for
Singh, prosecutors said. July 1, 2015: Newsday reports Singh, involved in
lawsuits that could threaten beach concession service in the Town of Oyster
Bay, has financial, political and personal ties to Edward Mangano. Newsday also
reports the county paid almost $240,000 to Harendra Singh, who operates
numerous businesses from his headquarters in Bethpage, Mangano's hometown, for
hot meals for top county, state and federal officials after superstorm Sandy.
Mangano's campaign also rented space for his campaign headquarters from Singh
in two elections, the paper reports, and Singh employed Linda Mangano at one of
his companies. Aug. 10, 2015: Newsday reports Mangano and family's trips to the
Caribbean were paid for by Singh. Among the findings:
A July 2012 trip was scheduled for St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands and a
second trip, scheduled for July 2013, was for the Turks and Caicos, where Singh
arranged for the Manganos to stay in a two-bedroom oceanfront suite for $4,961.
An email dated June 3, 2013, sent by a travel agent to Singh, said the total
cost of a trip to the Turks and Caicos for Singh, Singh's guests and the
Manganos was $17,498. A source familiar with the situation said the 2012 trip
might have been canceled but that Mangano and his family went on the second
trip to the Turks and Caicos. Edward Mangano's attorney Kevin Keating of Garden
City said of those reports: "There is absolutely no story here. The Manganos
and the Singhs have been friends for many, many years, lifelong friends. Aug.
11, 2015: Nassau District Attorney Madeline Singas to investigate trips by
Mangano and Oyster Bay Deputy Town Attorney Frederick Mei. Singh's attorney
said Mangano and Singh vacationed together and split costs. Documents obtained
by Newsday indicate Singh also paid for three trips taken by Mei to India and
South Korea in 2010 and 2012. Aug. 21,
2015: FBI raids Singh's Bethpage offices. Aug. 31, 2015: Mei resigns. Sept.
9, 2015: Singh is arrested on a 13-count indictment. Freed on $5 million bond.
Six of the counts accused Singh of paying a bribe to a former Oyster Bay deputy
town attorney to get an "indirect guarantee" of $32 million in loans for his
businesses, including food concessions he ran at town beaches and a town golf
course. Other charges included defrauding the IRS by not reporting millions of
dollars in wages paid to employees of his restaurants and fraudulently
collecting almost $1 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The
latter accusation refers to Singh collecting the money for falsely claiming his
Water's Edge restaurant in Long Island City was damaged during superstorm
Sandy. Sept. 13, 2015: Singh employees tell Newsday that Edward Mangano ate for
free at Singh's restaurants. Sept. 23,
2015: Whistleblower Christopher Briggs, a former Oyster Bay constable, tells
Newsday he gave Nassau District Attorney Kathleen Rice documents in 2013
suggesting that Singh secured illegal loan guarantees from Oyster Bay officials
and arranged and paid for vacations for Mangano, but district attorney
investigators never followed up on the information. October 2015:
Town of Brookhaven severs financial ties with Singh's company. One of his
restaurants, Water's Edge in Long Island City, closes after employees walked
out complaining they hadn't been paid. Oct. 23, 2015: FBI interviews John
Venditto. November 2015: Newsday reports Mangano's redacted calendar shows gaps
in public appearances on dates when he may have been in Caribbean on
Singh-financed trips. Dec. 16, 2015: Singh is rearrested and held without bail.
Federal prosecutors said he had violated the conditions of his release by
fraudulently attempting to obtain a $146,000 loan. Dec. 18, 2015:
Venditto interviewed by FBI again and claims to have never received anything of
value from Singh. Prosecutors said he received limousine services, free use of
private office space, discounted rates for events and fundraisers at Singh's
venues. February 2016: Prosecutors and defense meet to discuss a plea deal for
Singh. June 2016: Singh's trial date set for Jan. 9, 2017.
August 2016: Singh released from jail after eight months of detention.
October 2016: Mangano and Venditto, along with Linda Mangano, were arrested and
named in the 13-count indictment alleging extortion, bribery, fraud and
obstruction charges.
This article is pro
