BREAKING: Six Senate Democrats caught on wire recordings
08 May 2013 by Jon Campbell in Other - No Comments
Six Democrats in the state Senate were among the nine individuals secretly recorded by ex-Sen. Shirley Huntley, according to a court document unsealed Wednesday.
Sen. Ruth Hassell-Thompson, D-Mount Vernon, was among those listed in the document, along with five senators from New York City: Sens. Eric Adams, John Sampson, Velmanette Montgomery, Jose Peralta and Malcolm Smith.
Also recorded and photographed were New York City Councilman Ruben Wills, former Smith staffer Curtis Taylor and Melvin Lowe, a former consultant to state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, according to the filing.
Huntley, a Queens Democrat facing sentencing Thursday on corruption convictions, wore a wire for the FBI and federal prosecutors as she sought a more lenient sentence.
A separate court document filed on Tuesday revealed that eight of the nine individuals recorded by Huntley are under investigation by federal prosecutors, but did not reveal the nature of the investigations nor the names of those targeted. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s office declined comment Wednesday.
Hassell-Thompson’s office referred a call for comment to the Senate Democrats’ central press office.
“This is an extremely trying time in Albany,” Senate Democrats spokesman Mike Murphy said in a statement. “If any charges are brought the conference will take appropriate action.”
Last week, in their sentencing memorandum for Huntley, federal prosecutors said recordings of four of the elected officials, as well as the two non-elected individuals, did not yield any evidence of criminal activity. However, recordings of meetings Huntley held separately with Sampson three other elected officials “did yield evidence useful to law enforcement.”
Sampson and Smith have both been charged by federal prosecutors over the last five weeks.
Smith was hit with bribery charges in early April after the U.S. Attorney’s office accused him of trying to bribe his way onto the New York City mayoral ballot.
Sampson was charged Monday with embezzlement and obstruction of justice charges. Both Smith and Sampson pleaded not guilty.
You can read the newly unsealed court document here:
Huntley Memo by Jon Campbell
http://statepolitics.lohudblogs.com/2013/05/08/breaking-six-senate-democrats-caught-on-wire-recordings
