Former State Sen. Malcolm Smith
Former Queens GOP Vice Chairman Vince Tabone
Former state Sen. Malcolm Smith, and former Queens County GOP Vice Chairman Vince Tabone on Thursday were convicted in a White Plains federal court on bribery charges stemming from a scheme to rig the 2013 New York City mayoral election.
The jury deliberated for a little over two hours, according to the New York Post, before convicting Tabone and the once-powerful Democrat Smith, 57, in a failed $200,000 pay-to-play plan in which Smith tried to buy his way onto the Republican line with the help of Tabone, 48, and several other players, including former City Councilman Dan Halloran, who was convicted last July of accepting bribes.
Smith, 57, and Tabone, 48, were found guilty of one count of conspiracy, one count of wire fraud, and one count of Travel Act bribery. Smith was separately convicted of one count of extortion, and Tabone was separately convicted of one count of witness tampering.
“As the jury unanimously found, the give-and-take of the political process should not be the giving and taking of bribes, which is what Malcolm Smith and Vincent Tabone tried to make it,” said Preet Bharara, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. “Smith gave, and Tabone took, a $25,000 cash bribe to permit Smith to run for New York City mayor as a Republican. Smith and Tabone were not alone in this scheme—Smith also bribed Daniel Halloran, another Republican Party official. And sadly, this was just one of many pockets of corruption this office has uncovered in New York, which has become the ‘show me the money’ state. It should not be asking too much to expect public officials at least to obey the law. This office will continue the vigorous prosecution of political corruption until every public official understands that violating the public trust will likely land you in prison.”
According to Bharara, Smith participated in two overlapping schemes that involved the payment of bribes to obtain official action. First, he authorized the payment of $110,000 in cash bribes to be paid to leaders of the city Republican party, including Tabone, so that they would allow Smith to run for mayor on the GOP line. Second, Smith agreed to use his influence to help steer at least $500,000 in state transportation funding to a real estate project an undercover FBI agent and cooperating witness had proposed to develop in Spring Valley, New York, in exchange for the agent and witness paying bribes on Smith’s behalf to the city Republican chairs.
Additionally, Bharara said, during a meeting with the agent, Tabone accepted a $25,000 cash bribe in a dimly lit SUV parked in front of a Manhattan restaurant, and agreed to accept another $25,000 after his committee authorized Smith to compete in the Republican primary.
Smith faces up to 45 years in prison, while Tabone could get up to 25 years, when both are sentenced on July 1.
By Michael V. Cusenza
