Eric Stevenson, Bronx Democratic Assemblyman, arrested for taking $20,000 in bribes after fellow lawmaker Nelson Castro gives him up
Stevenson is accused of taking cash to benefit businessmen interested in developing adult day care center. His arrest follows the takedown of state Sen. Malcolm Smith and Councilman Dan Halloran in an unrelated bust.
BY GREG B. SMITH AND LARRY MCSHANE / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
MARIELA LOMBARD/FOR NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Assemblyman Eric A. Stevenson was arrested before dawn on Thursday for corruption.
Bronx Assemblyman Eric Stevenson, sold out by one of his corrupt colleagues, was charged Thursday with pocketing nearly $20,000 in bribes to boost the launch of an adult day care center.
Stevenson was busted with the aid of Assemblyman Nelson Castro, a fellow Bronx Democrat, according to the 38-page court filing and sources familiar with the matter. Stevenson was arrested Thursday morning.
According to the criminal complaint, Stevenson accepted one cash-stuffed envelope outside a Bronx steakhouse, and a second from a cooperating witness who was once an assembly candidate — but now worked for the adult home.
Castro, after agreeing to cooperate in January 2012, wore a wire to record Stevenson and others as officials investigated the influence-peddling scandal.
One of Stevenson’s co-defendants, during an initial conversation with Stevenson, told the assemblyman he would be “blessed” with the cash for his help, the documents show.
Stevenson, in a later taped conversation, was caught asking for more cash from his four co-defendants, Igor Belyansky, Rostislav Belyansky, Igor Tsimerman and David Binman.
VICTOR CHU FOR NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Stevenson was busted with the cooperation of Assemblyman Nelson Castro.
“Are Igor (Belyansky) and them putting together a nice little package for me, huh?” he asked. “I got my inauguration I gotta take care of, I got a lot of s---, man. I got to feed all the people.”
Stevenson also discussed the prevalence of corruption in New York politics during the Dec. 27, 2012, conversation.
“Bottom line ... if half the people up here in Albany were ever caught for what they do ... they ... would probably be (in jail),” he said. “So who are they bulls--ing?”
The cooperating witness weighed in as well in an earlier chat.
"When the money is good and there is a way you can get it and you start to do it, and then you do it once, and then you notice that you don't get caught - then you go and do it again, and you keep doing it again, again, again,” he said, referring to the conviction of Sen. Pedro Espada (D-Bronx).
JOE MARINO/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Castro will resign from his post by the end of Thursday.
Stevenson took a $10,000 cash bribe in September 2012, then agreed to expedite installation of a gas line in the building; steer senior citizens to the facility; and help get a certificate of occupancy, the complaint alleged.
A second $5,000 payoff in January was made in return for Stevenson’s help in passing legislation to block any competing adult day care centers from opening in the area, the complaint charged.
Stevenson received another $4,500 in February after showing a draft of the legislation to his co-conspirators, the complaint charged.
The assemblyman was plied with more than money: The co-defendants allegedly offered to name their new center in honor of Stevenson’s grandfather.
The felony charges against Castro will be dropped as part of his cooperation deal, the complaint says. The assemblyman will resign his post on Monday as part of the deal.
Stevenson’s arrest follows by two days the takedown of state Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-Queens) and City Councilman Dan Halloran (R-Queens) in a broad-ranging bribery scheme that Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara called emblematic of the “show-me-the-money culture” pervading New York politics.
Bharara’s office is also prosecuting Stevenson, who was busted along with four others Thursday morning in a joint investigation with Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson.
gsmith@nydailynews.com
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/bronx-assemblyman-eric-stevenson-arrested-corruption-article-1.1307456#ixzz2PW382MJX
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