I'm sure that there are many examples of dead or missing candidates
getting elected. I can't recall the fellow running for the state
house, as a Republican, here in Washington State, but when he died
prior to the election, his opponent switched from the Democratic Party
to the Republican Party, to run in the general election...and won!
But my favorite was a professor at the University of Washington,
Professor Green, who tossed his hat into the state legislature ring as
a Democrat. He was running against a long time Republican, and had
about as much of a chance of winning as a plow horse in the Kentucky
Derby.
But he ran on a campaign that promised to cut off Eastern Washington
and give it to Idaho. And if Idaho refused, declare war and force it
down their throats. It was a good plan, seeing as how Eastern
Washington Democrats were more conservative than Western Washington
Republicans.
But about a month prior to the general election, professor Green
announced that he had accepted a position with the University of
Hawaii, and he'd be withdrawing from the race.
But when the ballots came out, there was the name of professor Green.
He lost a fairly close race.
Carl Jarvis
On 10/21/16, Frank Ventura <frank.ventura@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
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
