William Mendez sentenced to prison time in Hempstead bribery, ticket-fixing scheme

A businessman who teamed up with a Hempstead Village politician to extort protection money from local Hispanic restaurant owners who feared being shut down is heading to prison for 1 1/3 to 4 years for his role in the bribery scheme and a ticket-fixing scam.

William Mendez, 50, of Elmont, pleaded guilty in March to felony charges of bribe receiving, grand larceny by means of extortion and conspiracy. He also admitted then to misdemeanor charges of tampering with public records and conspiracy.

On Monday, Nassau Supervising Judge Teresa Corrigan also ordered him to pay about $26,000 — the unpaid balance of $35,000 in restitution.

"I apologize for everything that I did. It was not my intention to do it and I'm sorry about everything," Mendez told the judge through a Spanish language interpreter.

Prosecutors have said Mendez solicited more than $150,0000 in bribes from restaurant owners, collecting the payments and delivering them to former village trustee Perry Pettus as part of their extortion scam.

Pettus, 65, began serving 2 1/3 to 7 years in prison last year after pleading guilty to charges including bribe receiving, grand larceny, conspiracy and official misconduct.

Mendez acted as an intermediary for Pettus in the extortion scheme, according to prosecutors. They said Mendez threatened the victims with tickets, fines and license revocations from the village that could potentially close their businesses unless they paid bribes.

The investigation included intercepted phone calls and prosecutors said Pettus and Mendez spoke in code about protection payments, calling the cash "cookies."

Pettus fast-tracked certain business permits and licenses for Mendez as payback, according to authorities. They said the elected official also used village employees to help Mendez increase the occupancy of his restaurant, El Pacifico, and assist him with architectural plans for a new business.

Mendez owned or had a financial interest in four Hempstead bars and restaurants at the time, according to the Nassau district attorney’s office.

Prosecutors said Mendez also played a role in traffic ticket-fixing by calling Pettus and asking him to fix tickets police had issued to one of his employees. Those tickets and parking tickets Mendez got then were illegally tossed, according to prosecutors.

Ticket-fixing allegations also ensnared Hempstead Police Chief Paul Johnson and Sgt. Joseph Savino, who previously pleaded not guilty and await trial.

Separately, Deputy Police Chief Richard Holland is awaiting trial on a bribery charge after allegedly paying at least $1,000 to Pettus to buy his promotion. Holland maintains his innocence.

Mendez, who uses the aliases Jito Malania and Leocadio Molino Rios, is a father of three who will likely be deported to Mexico after serving his sentence, according to prosecutors.

Mendez’s attorney, Bruce Barket, said previously that he believed his client’s plea deal was "a fair resolution of the various charges he was facing." He declined to comment after Monday's sentencing.

"Today's sentence holds Mendez accountable for his corrupt actions and begins to make these small businesses whole after the financial strain they suffered as a result of Mendez's extortion," Nassau Acting District Attorney Joyce Smith said in a statement.