QNS. POL CAUGHT IN STING
FBI NABS '$500,000 GRAFT' ASSEMBLYMAN
By FREDERIC U. DICKER and BRENDAN SCOTT in Albany and JENNIFER FERMINO in New York
GOTCHA:
Anthony Seminerio, at court yesterday, allegedly introduced an FBI undercover man to other elected officials.
Posted: 3:54 am
September 11, 2008
In an unprecedented sting that brought an undercover FBI agent onto the state Capitol floor, a veteran Democratic assemblyman from Queens was busted yesterday for allegedly taking $500,000 in bribes, prosecutors announced.
Anthony Seminerio, 73, who has represented South Ozone Park since 1978 and often boasted he was "John Gotti's assemblyman," was charged with running a secret consulting firm through which he pocketed the cash in return for peddling influence in Albany.
"Mr. Seminerio crafted a plan to receive such payments in a fashion effectively shielding those payments from public scrutiny," said Mark Mershon of the FBI.
Seminerio, released on $500,000 bail, declined to comment as he walked out of Manhattan federal court. His wife, Catherine, told reporters, "Drop dead!" and stuck out her tongue.
Using a cooperating witness, phone taps and, eventually, an undercover agent, investigators were able to unravel how Seminerio hid the alleged scam while pressing Albany colleagues to help him aid constituents who had paid him cash.
For the rest of the story and a picture of the leggiscritter visit the nypost.com
jennifer.fermino@nypost.com
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