| New York State Senator Malcolm Smith |
Senator arrested, for Trying to Bribe in Mayor Election. New York State Senator Malcolm Smith and New York City Councilman Dan Halloran were among a half-dozen lawmakers arrested Tuesday morning as part of an ongoing corruption case.
The legislators from Queens are accused of trying to buy Smith's place into the race for New York City mayor.
The scheme was elaborate, with a broad reach stretching from the Bronx and Queens into Rockland County and all the way up to Albany.
Also arrested were Spring Valley Mayor Noramie Jasmin and Deputy Mayor Joseph Desmaret, as well as Bronx Republican Party Chairman Joseph Savino and Queens Republican Party Vice Chair Vincent Tabone.
Smith, a Democrat, apparently orchestrated a plan to get on the mayoral ballot by running on the Republican ticket.
According to the criminal complaint, the plan was initially hatched on November 16 of last year, when Smith bribed Savino and Tabone into supporting his run for mayor.
Candidates need the backing of three of the five borough party leaders to get access to the Republican ballot line.
Halloran, a Republican, was reportedly the liaison in arranging the bribes, which allegedly would have been hidden in consultant contracts. In return, according to the compaint, he was seeking to become deputy police commissioner in a Smith administration.
The complaint alleges that Smith said, "You pull this off, you can have the house...I'll be a tenant."
The money was apparently to be funneled through a real estate scheme in Rockland County. However, the people Smith thought were developers were really working for the federal government.
In exchange for payments to Savino and Tabone, Smith agreed to use his power as a senator to help obtain state funds for a road project in Spring Valley. And that is where Jasmin and Desmaret came into the mix.
Earlier this year, during another meeting, Smith allegedly said, "It's worth any price. Look, talk to me before you close it. But it's worth it. Because you know how big a deal it is."
"Today's charges demonstrate, once again, that a show-me-the-money culture seems to pervade every level of New York government," U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement. "The complaint describes an unappetizing smorgasbord of graft...After the string of public corruption scandals that we have brought to light, many may rightly resign themselves to the sad truth that perhaps the most powerful special interest in politics is self-interest."
Charges in the case include bribery, extortion, and wire and mail fraud.
Smith says he'll be vindicated of charges, saying in a statement that his record reflects 13 years of dedication, hard work and integrity.