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Nassau County Executive Is Arrested in Bribery Scheme Nassau County Executive Is Arrested in Bribery Scheme
(about 4 hours later)
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 Nassau County executive, Edward P. Mangano, his wife and a local town supervisor were arrested and charged on Thursday with trading government contracts and official favors for free vacations, a no-show job as a food taster and other bribes — the latest in a series of corruption scandals to embarrass New York.
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 arrests capped months of looming trouble for Mr. Mangano, a powerful figure in Republican politics on Long Island and the top elected official in Nassau County. He has been dogged by reports — many published in Newsday — that he had received free gifts and vacations from a longtime friend, Harendra Singh, a Long Island restaurateur with about 30 businesses in the area and several government contracts.
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. Mr. Mangano’s arrest was another blow to the Republican machine in Nassau County, already weakened by the conviction last year of the former State Senate majority leader, Dean G. Skelos, on corruption charges.
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. The case seemed destined to tip Long Island politics into upheaval ahead of the elections in November. Several Long Island Republicans are trying to hold onto their seats in the State Senate, which Democrats are targeting in an effort to gain control of the chamber.
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. A 19-page, 13-count indictment released by federal prosecutors alleges a bribery and kickback scheme stretching back to the beginning of 2010, when Mr. Mangano became county executive after an upset victory over Thomas R. Suozzi, the Democratic incumbent, the previous year.
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. “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 with Federal Bureau of Investigation officials at a news conference in Central Islip.
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. The three defendants — Mr. Mangano; his wife, Linda Mangano; and the Oyster Bay town supervisor, John Venditto — all pleaded not guilty in Federal District Court in Central Islip on Thursday.
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. According to the indictment, Mr. Mangano and Mr. Venditto, a Republican first elected in 1997, made sure that contracts from the town and county went to a “local businessman and restaurateur,” identified by people with knowledge of the matter as Mr. Singh.
“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. With Mr. Mangano’s help, prosecutors said, Mr. Singh’s businesses received two county contracts worth about $437,000 in 2012, one to supply bread and rolls to the Nassau County Correctional Center, and another to feed the county’s emergency workers after Hurricane Sandy.
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. Mr. Mangano’s lawyer, Kevin Keating, said the bread contract never went into effect. As for the post-hurricane contract, Mr. Keating said it was awarded to Mr. Singh because his restaurants still had electric service after the storm. (He added that Mr. Mangano had not signed that particular contract.)
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. Singh also had two agreements to operate concessions or restaurants on Oyster Bay town property. The town also guaranteed four loans worth about $20 million that Mr. Singh’s businesses received from a bank and a private financing company, prosecutors said. Because of that guarantee, when Mr. Singh defaulted on two of the loans in November 2015, the loans’ holder demanded that the town pay what Mr. Singh owed.
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. In exchange, prosecutors said, Mr. Singh paid for Mr. Mangano’s vacations, meals at Mr. Singh’s restaurants and new hardwood flooring in the Manganos’ bedroom worth nearly $4,000. The trips the Mangano family took at Mr. Singh’s expense included ones to Niagara Falls, Florida, St. Thomas, and the Turks and Caicos Islands, according to prosecutors.
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. Capers said that when F.B.I. agents searched Mr. Mangano’s office and home Thursday morning, they found even more gifts from Mr. Singh: a $3,624 massage chair from Brookstone, a $3,372 ergonomic office chair and a $7,304 Panerai Luminor watch.
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. What Mr. Venditto received, prosecutors said, included free limousine service for himself, his family and his friends; discounts on fund-raisers at Mr. Singh’s restaurants; and the use of a conference room at one of the restaurants.
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.” Linda Mangano also received more than $450,000 over several years for a no-show job at one of Mr. Singh’s restaurants, according to the indictment. Among her supposed duties, according to Mr. Capers: serving as a food taster.
“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.” The Manganos and Mr. Venditto tried to cover up 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 job.
All four Democrats in Long Island Senate races called on Mr. Mangano and Mr. Venditto to resign. Mr. Venditto was arrested at his home early Thursday, while the Manganos drove to the local F.B.I. office and surrendered.
On Wednesday, Mr. Mangano’s spokesman Brian Nevin had brushed off suggestions that Mr. Mangano was about to be arrested, calling the accusations “preposterous.”
Outside the courthouse on Thursday, Mr. Mangano made clear that he would not resign.
“It’s ridiculous, but I can’t say any more,” he said. “I’m going to tell you this — going to continue to govern, going to go to work, America’s the greatest country in the world, and you’ll all have an opportunity to hear everything, and decide for yourselves.”
Ms. Mangano’s lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.
Mr. Venditto’s lawyer, Brian Griffin, called the charges against his client “underwhelming” and said that Mr. Venditto intended to “vigorously defend” himself against them.
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 the fund-raising practices of Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York.
Though prosecutors shed light on many of the allegations surrounding Mr. Mangano’s office on Thursday, the status of his chief deputy, Richard Walker, known as Rob, remained unclear. While serving as a government witness during Mr. Skelos’s trial, Mr. Walker testified that he was under investigation over the awarding of county contracts to campaign donors. Mr. Griffin, who also represents Mr. Walker, said his client had not been charged with wrongdoing.
As politicians from both parties called on Mr. Mangano and Mr. Venditto to resign, Democrats sought to tie Republican State Senate candidates to what one called “the corrupt Nassau Republican machine.” Michael Venditto, the town supervisor’s son is among the Senate incumbents.
Mr. Mangano was apparently underprepared for his court date — or, perhaps, utterly defiant. On Thursday morning, amid the arrests, an invitation to a breakfast fund-raiser for him on Nov. 5 was emailed to at least one reporter. Donors were invited to pay $100, the invitation said, to share “Eggs with Ed.”