Federal Corruption Probe Targets Minority NYC Politicians

Posted on 5/16/2013 by RaceReport with 0 comments

By Glenn Minnis.

Concern mounts as a federal corruption probe targets black and Latino New York City politicians.

Over the last five weeks, the indictment of three state legislators, another two admitting to wearing wires for the federal government, four more discovered they were taped by their colleagues, and all of them either black or Hispanic.

The politicians include, Senators Malcolm Smith, and John Sampson, Assemblymen Nelson Castro, and Eric Stevenson, all publically known for their involvement, and all minorities, each helms from an impoverished neighborhood in the boroughs of either Brooklyn or the Bronx. In addition, late last week a federal judge sentenced former Sen. Shirley Huntley to a year and a day behind bars following a similar investigation.

“Black and Hispanic politicians are the ones wired and sent out to root out corruption among black and Hispanic officials,” said Sen. Ruben Diaz Jr., a Bronx Democrat. “I hate to think that as black and Hispanic leaders …. we would be targeted to weed out corruption only in our backyards and that we would be held to a higher standard than the non-black and Hispanic leaders.”

Yet, in a Legislature where minorities are historically underrepresented, many are convinced this seems to be the case.

“Attacks on black leaders: corruption or conspiracy?” Reads a leaflet dispersed for a recent event attended and supported by Queens Sen. James Sanders. A spokesperson of his described the event as “a debate that’s going to look in an intellectual way at events, conspiracy, and corruption in the minority community.”

On May 13, 2013, a federal prosecutor accused Sen. John Sampson (D) of Brooklyn of funneling funds into his failed campaign for Brooklyn district attorney, he’s being charged with embezzling $440,000 between 1998 and 2008. When he feared getting caught, he told an associate he could track down informants and “take them out,” according to an unsealed indictment. Other charges are obstruction of justice and lying to the FBI. Photo Credit: huffingtonpost.com

“We’re asking if there’s more than meets the eye here,” organizers stressed. Meanwhile, naysayers point back some five years when such white Republican office holders, Sens. Nicholas Spano, Carl Kruger, and Vincent Leibell were snared in similar federal probes, as was Assemblymen Anthony Seminiero.

But even back then, it was Democratic Sen. Pedro Espada Jr., a Bronx Latino, who was actually convicted on corruptions charges and landed in prison, while former Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, a white upstate Republican, was convicted on similar charges, only to have that decision vacated and a new trial ordered. He still remains free.

“There is a deafening silence on the demographics of those charged,” said Doug Muzzio, a political science professor at Baruch College says of the latest trend.

Seemingly, understanding that perception can indeed mean everything. Muzzio added, it is beyond significant to discuss race in a story that is likely to dominate the news for months, as this episode appears poised to do.

Featured Photo Credit: minorityreporter.net

Sources:

Huffington Post

Times Union Post