Grace Meng thanked her father, Jimmy Meng during her victory speech in the Democratic primary for the 6th Congressional District. She’s distanced herself from her father and his arrest in preparation for her general election contest.
Jimmy Meng, former assemblyman and father of congressional candidate Grace Meng, was arrested Tuesday on charges that he arranged to receive a bribe worth tens of thousands of dol- lars hidden in a fruit basket.
According to federal charges, Jimmy Meng claimed he could reduce time in prison for a defendant if the man delivered $80,000 to a lumber- yard owned by the former assembly- man.
Jimmy Meng allegedly said he would then distribute that money to prosecutors in exchange for a shortened prison sentence.
United States Attorney Loretta E. Lynch said Jimmy Meng—in reality—wielded no influence to change a prison sentence and intended to keep the money for himself.
Jimmy Meng
“The influence he sought to peddle was corrupt, and his power was illusory,” she said in a statement.
Jimmy Meng is charged with wire fraud and could serve 20 years in pris- on if he is convicted.
The investigation centers around the unnamed defendant who was indicted on state-tax crimes. He approached Jimmy Meng for help, but was cooperating with the FBI at that point—recording conversations setting up the alleged bribe.
Between December 2011and July 2012, FBI agents recorded multiple calls and meetings where Jimmy Meng and the man allegedly set up the deal. They spoke the whole time in Mandarin, which prosecutors translated and used to charge the former assemblyman.
Jimmy Meng allegedly told him that if he delivered $80,000 to his lumberyard in Queens, he would fork over $20,000 each for four assistant district attorneys in exchange for reducing his prison sentence to a year.
Prosecutors say that in a conversa- tion from January, Jimmy Meng said he would refund the money—except for $2,000 for an “errand fee”—if the defendant received any more than a year in prison.
Jimmy Meng allegedly told the man that he’d already contacted the assistant district attorneys he inteded to distribute the money to.
“You can never say in the future that Jimmy Meng helped me find people,” the former assemblyman allegedly told the unnamed defendant.
Prosecutors say that on July 17, Jimmy Meng gave the go-ahead with the scheme, telling the man to deliver the fruit basket holding thousands of dollars to the lumberyard.
As the man handed over the basket on Tuesday, FBI agents swept in and made the arrest.
FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge
Fedarcyk said in a statement, “As it turns out, [ Jimmy] Meng was only looking to pad his own pockets in the form of a bountiful fruit basket worth $80,000 in bribe money. This type of conduct discredits the trust we place in our public officials, and it is exactly the reason why the FBI remains committed to rooting out all forms of public corruption.”
His daughter, Grace Meng, who is running for Congress in the 6th Congressional District is now working to distance herself from her father.
“Prior to this afternoon’s reports, I had no knowledge of my father’s actions or the investigation,” Grace Meng said in a statement. “I am independent of my father — always have been, always will be.”
Jimmy Meng was elected to the Assembly in 2004. He was the first Asian American elected to New York’s state legislature.
Grace Meng has held his former seat since 2008, and she is now fighting to become the first Asian American elected to Congress from New York.
Last month, she won a four-way Democratic primary and is now facing Republican Councilman Dan Halloran in the general election in November.
“Until more facts emerge and we have a better understanding of the situation, the only thing further I’ll say is that I urge my father to fully cooperate with all authorities,” Grace Meng said.
By Jeremiah Dobruck
j.dobruck@theforumnewsgroup.com
