( – promoted by Middle of the Road)
New York State Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada (D-Bronx) is spending his year riding the roller coaster that is NY state politics.
What has Sen. Espada been up to? Well, for starters:
But wait, that’s not all…
New York Democrats have known for a long while that Espada was dirty, and they’ve been looking for the opportunity to oust him. But perhaps they didn’t suspect he was as dirty as the picture now being painted. Two stories out in the past few days signal the probable beginning of the end of the ride for Espada.
First, an IRS investigation asks how closely Espada is tied to an “A-1 Multi-Service LLC” – apparently a front complete with false mailing address. A-1, says the IRS, appears to be involved with money laundering and tax fraud; Espada is believed to have used the company to avoid paying taxes.
And now State AG (and runaway Gubernatorial favorite) Andrew Cuomo has filed suit against Espada accusing him of “siphoning $14 million from his government-funded clinic in the Bronx for lavish restaurant meals, trips to Las Vegas and his own campaign.” Yes, that’s right – $14 million in government money to “run” a community health clinic, taking more than 20% of the clinic’s total budget over a period of five years. The suit seeks to remove Espada and the other board members and to gain restitution on the misspent government funds. Of course, should Espada leave his post, his contract with the clinic guarantees a $9 million severance package, which the AP reports is sufficient to bankrupt the clinic entirely.
Good thing he’s got a challenger, Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter, a reform activist.
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that a recent story said over 70% of Americans don’t trust their government anymore.
We need more people with behavior similar to this Espada guy.
The closest we get is some Western Slope legislator double-dipping on meals.
Won’t someone think of the children?
The children of news reporters would be greatly helped by more scandalous behavior.
Colorado politicians and public figures are amateurs by comparison to the byzantine workings of places like New York, Louisiana, and Illinois.