Former City Councilman Dan Halloran’s eight-week trial came to a close Tuesday when a federal jury found him guilty of bribery and corruption charges on a five-count indictment.
Halloran, who used to represent communities in northeast Queens, was convicted of helping to funnel taxpayer dollars from discretionary funding to pay for a drummed up scheme with two insiders who later revealed they were undercover FBI informants, prosecutors said. He was also found guilty of his participation in an elaborate scheme to install state Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-St. Albans) into last year’s mayoral race as a Republican.
An 11-member jury deliberated for just over one hour before finding the embattled lawmaker guilty of all charges. He now faces up to 45 years in prison, prosecutors said.
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara applauded the conviction, which pegged Halloran for playing key roles in the two political corruption schemes and pocketing $20,000 and $25,000 from them respectively for his work. In a statement, Bharara said Halloran was just another domino to fall in the state’s ongoing efforts to clean up political corruption.
“Dan Halloran was the lone defendant in the trial that just ended in his conviction, but he is unfortunately not alone in a crowded field of New York officials who are willing to sell out their offices for self-enrichment,” Bharara said. “This office will continue the vigorous prosecution of political corruption to secure for the people of New York – regardless of party affiliation – what they deserve: the honest labors of their elected representatives. And we will continue to partner with the FBI, whose outstanding investigative work in this case was instrumental to achieving a just result.”
By Phil Corso
