New York sources reported that New York politician has been convicted in a US federal court of taking bribes from a once high flying Indian American restaurateur whose web of influence even enmeshed the city’s mayor. A jury found Edward Mangano, the former elected head of Nassau County on Long Island, guilty of several charges of accepting bribes and kickbacks from Harendra Singh, officials said on Friday. Singh has pleaded guilty to bribing Mangano and in a deal with the prosecutors turned approve and testified against him.
“Mangano abused his power as a public official by taking bribes and kickbacks from a businessman in exchange for helping him obtain loans worth millions of taxpayer dollars”, federal prosecutor Richard Donoghue said. A Republican, Mangano was elected in 2009 to the office of County Executive of Nassau, which has a population of 1.3 million and adjoins New York City.
His wife, Linda, who was convicted of conspiracy and other charges, had “a bogus job as a food taster and menu planner at one of Singh’s restaurants”, said William F. Sweeney, a Federal Bureau of Investigation Assistant Director. Prosecutors said that she received $450 for the job that did not require her to report for duty. The couple face a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.
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