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Jury Mistrial In $177 Bagel Councilman's Fraud Case
By
Jen Chung
Published Dec 10, 2011
Modified Jul 26, 2012
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By
Jen Chung
Published Dec 10, 2011
Modified Jul 26, 2012
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City Councilman Larry Seabrook was thrilled yesterday after a jury remained deadlocked on fraud charges against him— those charges included accusations that he got kickbacks from a contractor he recommended to work on the new Yankee Stadium, funneled hundreds of thousands to his mistress and her relatives, and altered a receipt for a $7 bagel to $177. Seabrook, a Democrat who represents the Bronx, said, “I continue to have faith and certainly have faith in God and faith in the jury system and hoping that the jury would come to the conclusion and that’s what we’ll live with, what was said. And we’ll continue to keep the faith."
The Post is pretty furious that the jury couldn't come to a decision on "charges that many saw as a slam dunk": "A $177 bagel? A $300,000 payment to his mistress? Some $40,000 in crooked donations? None of it could get a clueless jury to convict City Councilman Larry Seabrook of corruption... The ruling followed a midafternoon note in which jurors declared that the mountain of evidence against Seabrook was just too much for them to climb." Apparently there were 400 prosecution exhibits to back up the feds' 12 charges ranging from mail fraud to money laundering, wire fraud to soliciting gratuities. (Here's the feds' indictment—PDF.)
According to the NY Times, "Most of the jurors declined to comment as they left the courthouse, although several remained to speak privately with prosecutors and defense lawyers. The foreman, Frank DiBrino, told reporters that “'here was movement back and forth' on each of the 12 counts and that the split among the jurors was 'different on different charges... It wasn’t the same all the way down [on the 12 charges]."
According to one person who was briefed on the deliberations, the jury was split 6 to 6 on the first count, which charged Mr. Seabrook with accepting thousands of dollars in illegal gratuities from a Bronx businessman whom he helped to obtain a boiler contract for the new Yankee Stadium.
On other counts, the jury was split in different ways, but typically there were groups of jurors on each side, not just single holdouts, the person who was briefed said.
, "Over the course of the trial, several key witnesses, including those who were offered immunity to testify, contradicted themselves on the stand. When Seabrook’s alleged mistress Gloria Jones Grant took the stand, she revealed she had been recently prescribed medication for dementia. She had been expected to connect the dots between the councilman, the nonprofits and the fraud that was allegedly occurring there."
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said, "While the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict in the trial of Councilman Seabrook, we fully intend to retry the case, and prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the councilman criminally exploited his official position in order to enrich his friends, his family, and himself."
Tagged
$177 bagel
corruption
fraud
jury
larry seabrook
luxury bagel
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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