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Nassau County Executive Is Arrested in Bribery Scheme Nassau County Executive Is Arrested in Bribery Scheme
(about 2 hours later)
The Nassau County executive, Edward P. Mangano, his wife and the supervisor of the Town of Oyster Bay, were arrested early Thursday morning in a bribery and kickback scheme, federal authorities said. The Nassau County executive, Edward P. Mangano, his wife and the supervisor of the Town of Oyster Bay were arrested and charged on Thursday with trading government contracts and official favors for free vacations, a $450,000 no-show job and other bribes.
The three were expected to appear in court later on Thursday, and the United States attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Robert L. Capers, was set to announce the charges against them in a news conference on Long Island at 11 a.m. Mr. Mangano has been dogged by reports — many published in Newsday — that he and his family had vacationed in the Virgin Islands and Turks and Caicos on trips that were paid for by Harendra Singh, a Long Island restaurateur who won a county contract to provide food to local officials in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
The Oyster Bay supervisor, John Venditto, was arrested at his home, while Mr. Mangano and his wife, Linda Mangano, drove to the local office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and surrendered. The arrests capped months of looming trouble for Mr. Mangano, a powerful figure in Long Island Republican politics and the top elected official in Nassau County, and seemed destined to tip Long Island politics into upheaval. Numerous Long Island Republicans are trying to preserve their seats in the New York State Senate, which Democrats are targeting in an effort to regain control of the chamber in the November elections.
The arrests, which were confirmed by Martin R. Feely, a spokesman for the F.B.I., capped months of looming trouble for Mr. Mangano, a powerful figure in Long Island Republican politics and the top elected official in Nassau County. Mr. Mangano has been dogged by reports — many published in Newsday — that he and his family had vacationed in the Virgin Islands and Turks and Caicos on trips that were paid for by Harendra Singh, a Long Island restaurateur who won a county contract to provide food to local officials in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in 2012. A 19-page indictment released by federal prosecutors on Thursday outlines a bribery and kickback scheme stretching back to the beginning of 2010, when Mr. Mangano entered the county executive’s office after upsetting Thomas R. Suozzi, his Democratic predecessor, in the previous year’s election.
Prosecutors say Mr. Mangano and John Venditto, the longtime Republican supervisor of the Town of Oyster Bay, made sure contracts from the town and county went to a “local businessman and restaurateur,” identified by a person with knowledge of the matter as Mr. Singh.
Mr. Singh had a concession agreement with the town to operate a restaurant on town property, as well as at one of the town’s beaches. The Town of Oyster Bay also guaranteed some loans that Mr. Singh’s businesses received from a bank and private financing company. Mr. Singh defaulted on the last two of the loans, whose worth prosecutors estimated to be in the millions of dollars.
In exchange, according to the indictment, Mr. Singh paid for some of Mr. Mangano and Mr. Venditto’s vacation expenses, limousine services, meals and other gifts that included new wood flooring at Mr. Mangano’s home and discounts on events and fund-raisers at the businessman’s restaurants.
When federal agents searched Mr. Mangano’s office and home on Thursday morning, they found even more: a $3,000 massage chair and a $2,000 desk chair at his office, and a $7,500 watch from his home, all gifts from Mr. Singh, a law enforcement official said.
“With this indictment, we again send a clear message: that no one is above the law,” said Robert L. Capers, the United States attorney for the Eastern District of New York, announcing the charges at a news conference in Central Islip.
Ms. Mangano also received more than $450,000 over four years for a no-show job as a “food taster” at one of Mr. Singh’s restaurants, Mr. Capers said.
The Manganos and Mr. Venditto subsequently lied to federal investigators who interviewed them about the bribes, according to the indictment, with Mr. Mangano’s wife, Linda, going so far as to fabricate instances of work she had done at the no-show restaurant job.
Mr. Venditto was arrested at his home early Thursday morning, while Mr. Mangano and his wife drove to the local office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and surrendered. They were due to appear in court on Thursday afternoon.
Just a day earlier, a spokesman for Mr. Mangano, Brian Nevin, had brushed off suggestions that Mr. Mangano was about to be arrested, calling the accusations “preposterous.”
Mr. Singh, who is cooperating with prosecutors in the case, has already been charged with several crimes, including bribing a former deputy town attorney in Oyster Bay. Mr. Singh is also cooperating with federal prosecutors in Manhattan, in an unrelated investigation, into Mayor Bill de Blasio’s fund-raising practices.Mr. Singh, who is cooperating with prosecutors in the case, has already been charged with several crimes, including bribing a former deputy town attorney in Oyster Bay. Mr. Singh is also cooperating with federal prosecutors in Manhattan, in an unrelated investigation, into Mayor Bill de Blasio’s fund-raising practices.
According to the indictment unsealed on Thursday, a “local businessman and restaurateur,” believed to be Mr. Singh, owned about 30 businesses, most of them in Nassau County, some of which received several contracts from Nassau County agencies and the Town of Oyster Bay. It was unclear how the indictments of two fixtures in Long Island’s Republican establishment would affect State Senate races in the area, though Democrats were quick to tie Republican candidates to what one called “the corrupt Nassau Republican machine.”
The town also guaranteed some loans that some of Mr. Singh’s businesses received from a bank and a private financing company. In exchange, according to the indictment, Mr. Singh paid for some of Mr. Mangano and Mr. Venditto’s travel expenses, limousine services, meals and other gifts that included a massage chair, a watch, new wood flooring at Mr. Mangano’s home, and discounts on events and fund-raisers at the businessman’s restaurants. “Today is another sad day in Nassau County and highlights the need for real ethics reforms that tackle public corruption head on,” said a Democratic Senate candidate, Ryan Cronin, who is trying to unseat Senator Kemp Hannon, a Republican, in the Sixth District. “The cloud of corruption has hung over Nassau County and the Town of Oyster Bay for too long.”
Ms. Mangano also received more than $450,000 over four years for a no-show job at one of the restaurants. All four Democrats in Long Island Senate races called on Mr. Mangano and Mr. Venditto to resign.
The Manganos and Mr. Venditto subsequently lied to federal investigators who interviewed them about the bribes, according to the indictment, with Ms. Mangano going so far as to fabricate instances of work she had done at the no-show restaurant job.