Former Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano and his wife, Linda, have both been found guilty of crimes relating to bribery from the time when Mangano was in office from January, 2010, to December, 2017.
The couple appeared in court on Friday where both were convicted of the charges they faced at the corruption retrial, according to Reuters .
Mangano was the top elected official in the county, with access to the funds of one of the wealthiest counties in the state. Apparently, he used that position to take “bribes to help a local businessman obtain millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded loans.” The local businessman in question is former restaurateur Harendra Singh.
He faced charges of bribery, honest services fraud, obstruction of justice, and conspiracy, all of which the federal court jury in Central Islip, New York, believed him to be guilty. The jury’s decision came down to a split verdict, but fell on the guilty side of the fence.
Mangano was cleared of a single charge of extortion, and other charges alleging he gave Singh a lucrative contract in exchange for his assistance in securing $20 million in loans.
Mangano’s wife, Linda, was given a guilty verdict on four of the five charges she faced, including those of obstruction of justice and making false statements to federal agents in an effort to cover her husband’s tracks during the investigation.
Both could be facing up to 20 years in prison for their crimes.
Ex-NY official convicted in multimillion-dollar bribe case: prosecutors https://t.co/dXgydOTwEd pic.twitter.com/62wLGPObgL
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 9, 2019
Linda’s legal counsel, John Carman, has already stated that his client intends to appeal Friday’s decision, stating that she is “disappointed” by the verdict. Her husband’s legal counsel has yet to make a statement regarding the convictions.
According to the New York Post , Mangano has stated that he feels his wife should have been left out the court case completely, and should never have been charged in the first place. In the same statement, he also tried to maintain his own innocence in the saga.
“That is very hurtful to us, right through the heart. Hurtful that Linda has to go through any of this,” he said. “I’m very proud of my service as county executive and I would not, and could not, be bribed.”
Eastern District U.S. Attorney Richard P. Donoghue has taken a very different view of the case, following an extensive investigation carried out by the FBI.
“As found by the jury, Edward Mangano abused his power as a public official by taking bribes and kickbacks from a businessman in exchange for helping him obtain loans worth millions of taxpayer dollars.”
A date for their sentencing hearing has not yet been set.
