County Exec. Mangano, Oyster Bay Sup. Venditto charged with corruption

Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano, his wife and Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto were indicted Thursday on federal corruption charges. Mangano is charged with extortion, conspiracy and obstruction

News 12 Staff

Oct 21, 2016, 1:00 AM

Updated 2,915 days ago

Share:

Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano, his wife and Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto were indicted Thursday on federal corruption charges.
Mangano is charged with extortion, conspiracy and obstruction of justice, according to a 13-count indictment unsealed by federal officials.
Mangano, along with Venditto and his wife Linda, were arraigned and released on $500,000 bond each.
Prosecutors said Mangano and Venditto received bribes and kickbacks in the form of hotel, travel expenses, limo services and free gifts, including watches and massage chairs.
U.S. Attorney Robert Capers says all of the kickbacks were in connection with business dealings in Nassau County and Oyster Bay.
"Official actions by Venditto and Mangano included the town of Oyster Bay's guarantee of four loans, totaling in excess of $20 million to a co-conspirator, and Nassau's award to the co-conspirator was lucrative contracts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to provide food services to various Nassau agencies," said Capers.
Prosecutors have not identified "co-conspirator No. 1," but sources have identified him as indicted restaurateur Harendra Singh.
Federal prosecutors would not comment when asked if Harendra Singh is now cooperating in the investigation. An attorney for Singh said he remains "committed to protecting Mr. Singh's rights and ensuring that his case proceeds in a fair and favorable manner."
In addition, federal prosecutors said Mangano asked Singh to hire his wife for a no-show job where she earned $450,000 over a four-year period.
"One of the jobs she claimed to have was a food taster and other things," said Capers.
After the arraignment, Venditto did not comment about the accusations. His attorney said his client is innocent.
"Mr. Venditto has served the people of Oyster Bay for 40 years. He has done it with distinction, with diligence and he has done it ethically," said attorney Brian Griffin.
Mangano made it clear that he would fight the charges.
"I'm going to tell you this, I'm going to continue to govern, go to work," he says. "America is the greatest country in the world, and you'll all have an opportunity to hear everything and decide for yourself. God bless you."