(04/08/08) RIVERHEAD ? Nesconset developer Robert Fitzpatrick was hit with new charges Tuesday stemming from the corruption scandal that rocked Smithtown.

The new bribery charges stem from claims made by builder Frank Esposito, who pleaded guilty last week to bribing Smithtown?s chief building inspector. Esposito said Fitzpatrick was his partner in the activities. He said the two paid the town?s former chief building inspector $10,000 to speed up the permit process for the project.

Fitzpatrick was originally arrested last November and accused of filing to build an addition on a home, when in fact he allegedly built an entirely new house. He was also charged Tuesday with conspiracy and money laundering and faces a maximum 7-year prison term if convicted.