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Prosecutor: Pedro Espada Spent $60K On Sushi And Lobster
By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 15, 2012
Modified Jun 15, 2012
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By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 15, 2012
Modified Jun 15, 2012
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The corruption trial of disgraced former State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr. and his son, "Pedro G.," finally kicked off yesterday in Federal District Court in Brooklyn. In her opening remarks, prosecutor Carolyn Pokorny unloaded on the Bronxchester pol, telling the jury Espada stole "more than half a million dollars from a public charity" and used the money to fund a lavish lifestyle which included extravagant meals, spa trips, luxury cars, vacations—including "sixty thousand dollars on sushi and lobster." Espada "even went out and tried to buy a Bentley," Pokorny alleged.
Espada and son each face a maximum of 10 years in prison for embezzlement, five for conspiracy and a fine of $250,000 for each count on which they are convicted, the Times reports. Espada and Pedro G. have pleaded not guilty to charges of embezzling more than half a million dollars from the Bronx nonprofit health care network they managed. According to the grand jury indictment, Espada used the non-profit Soundview Health Clinic, which the senator founded 30 years ago, to live a life of luxury and finance his political campaigns.
Susan Necheles, an attorney for the Espadas, dismissed the allegations as "a lot of loose talk," and insisted this is simply a matter of sloppy bookkeeping. In fact, Necheles told the jury that Espada was actually "underpaid" for all the work he did for Soundview! What a saint. And he was contractually entitled to a $200 per diem allowance, which he could spend as he wished. "It’s not a crime in America to be paid a lot of money," Necheles argued in her opening remarks. “If it was a crime in America, half of Wall Street would be in jail." (Gee, wouldn't that be terrible?)
"Oh my gosh!" Necheles continued, in "mock shock," the Post reports. "A spa? A luxury car? Private schools for his grandchildren? These are terrible, terrible things Espada was paying for out of his company." Of course, since Soundview is a nonprofit that received taxpayer funding (secured by Espada, of course), the notion that it's "his" company seems a bit of a stretch. "The Soundview clinic struggled to pay its phone bills," said Pokorny, pointing out that Pedro G. pulled in $100K "running" a janitorial company that had a lucrative contract with Soundview. "It wasn’t enough; they had to bleed the place dry."
Tagged
corruption
lobster
pedro espada
pedro j
pedro j. espada
soundview
sushi
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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