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"Joe Bruno demands his day in court"
1/28/2009 12:00:00 AM
TROY - Former state Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, who was
indicted by a federal grand jury Friday, is eagerly awaiting his day in
court and said that there is no chance of a plea deal.
Bruno met
Tuesday with The Record’s editorial board and said that getting the
facts about his past business dealings heard in open court, rather than
behind the closed doors of a grand jury, is the only fair break he is
going to get.
The eight-count indictment charges
the 79-year-old Republican with carrying out a scheme to defraud the
state and its citizens of the right to his honest services by using his
position to steer money from entities with business before the
Legislature to outside companies he worked for as a consultant.
From
1993 to 2006, investigators allege he improperly earned $3.2 million by
not doing any work at all but just being in his elected position. State
legislators are part time and are allowed to do other work on the side
and Bruno set up a consulting company based out of his home.
"We’re
going to get this into open court and I want to expedite a trial as
quickly as we can get there," said Bruno, who pleaded not guilty in
federal court Friday afternoon.
"If there’s any relief here it’s
that they came out from behind their closed doors and into the open,
and I’m really looking forward to airing this because I’m going to be
vindicated," he continued. "I’m going to be innocent of having
committed any crime here because I know I didn’t."
Bruno
referred to the three-year investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s office
and the FBI as a "fishing expedition" and a "witch hunt" which had
touched nearly every aspect of his professional, political, and
business life over the last 15 years.
However, Bruno had been
fairly certain the investigation was nearing its end because, according
to him, investigators had been unable to find any leads or any
witnesses to prove there was any quid pro quo until it was nearly time
for the grand jury to disband last week.
"It appears to me that
in some form of panic, they quickly, last week sometime, started
putting together an indictment," said Bruno, adding everything in the
indictment was circumstantial because prosecutors assumed he was doing
something wrong. "I’m not a lawyer, but my lawyers, along with others
that have called in from across the nation, said they have never seen
such a piece of garbage."
The indictment alleges that Bruno,
working as an employee of a Connecticut investment services firm,
directed labor unions which had business before with the state
Legislature and other state agencies to hire the firm to manage their
money, and that he engaged in similar practices without properly
identifying them on financial disclosure forms.
It alleges Bruno
told his consulting clients that he received clearance from the
Legislative Ethics Committee for their relationship but that he never
did, and that the former political figure had never done any kind of
consulting work or any work for the money he was paid. Rather, he was
paid a finders fee if the companies got any business from Bruno’s
recommendations.
Bruno, who served 14 years in the powerful position of majority leader, said the allegations were nonsense.
"I
obeyed all the laws. There’s confusion there and they (government
investigators) were so confused that they didn’t have any clue how the
system works, and they still don’t fully understand," said Bruno. "I
filed everything that I was supposed to file. I know what’s right and I
know what’s wrong - I’m not a child."
According to Acting U.S.
Attorney Andrew Baxter, the investigation first began when the
government started looking into Bruno’s use of government aircraft and
that all sources of information, including press reports, were
considered throughout the process.
Bruno maintained that he had
every right to conduct outside business as a part-time legislator and
that he had been selectively targeted with this investigation by
political enemies who were "trying to make a career out of destroying
him." He said with the new administration in Washington many U.S.
Attorneys may be out of work and this was a way for them to "stick
around a little longer."
"You wonder why anybody on this Earth
would want to run for public office given what happens in circumstances
like this," said Bruno.
After serving for 32 years in the state
Senate, Bruno retired from the Legislature in July and went on to
become the CEO of CMA Consulting Services, an information technology
business in Latham.
If convicted, Bruno faces a maximum of 20
years in prison and fines of $250,000 for each of the eight counts of
the indictment. He could also be forced to forfeit anything he
purchased with the money.
While federal officials previously
noted that it could be some time before Bruno is seen back in court, he
said he is anxious for the case to go to trial as soon as possible.
"I’ve
gotten to be almost 80 years old and I didn’t get here, and didn’t
create the success that I’ve created in my life, by wimping out,
backing off, and not being willing to fight," said Bruno. "And I’m not
going to start now at this young and tender age."
