Former New York State Senate Leader Sentenced to 7 Years for Bribery

NEW YORK (Sputnik) — The former leader of the New York State Senate, Malcolm Smith, was sentenced to seven years in prison for bribery, US Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement.

“Bribes and kickbacks should never play a role in the selection of candidates for public office,” Bharara said on Wednesday. “Today’s sentences make clear that the cost of violating the public trust in this way will be measured in years in a federal prison.”

Smith was convicted of bribing the Queens County Republican Party Vice Chairman Vincent Tabone to obtain authorization and run for New York City mayor in 2013 as a Republican even though he is a registered Democrat.

Court documents show that from November 2012 through April 2013, Smith had given Tabone at least $50,000 to authorize his candidacy.

“By attempting to buy and sell a spot on New York City’s Mayoral ballot, Malcolm Smith and Vincent Tabone corrupted one of the most fundamental tenets of the democratic process,” Bharara added.

Tabone was sentenced to three and half years in prison for taking bribes and for witness tampering.

Smith, who served in New York State’s Senate from 2000 to 2014, was also sentenced to two years of supervised release following his prison term.