Call for Mangano to withdraw county attorney nominee

The Democratic minority leader of the Nassau County Legislature called yesterday for Republican County Executive Edward Mangano to withdraw his nominee for county attorney until questions about his background can be cleared up.

The minority leader, Legis. Diane Yatauro of Glen Cove, said she wanted to see proof that nominee John Ciampoli had paid a $118,000 federal tax lien, and wanted him to reconsider his plan to outsource some legal work to private lawyers.

At the very least, Yatauro said, the legislature should defer action on Ciampoli's nomination Monday when it comes up for approval. The Republican presiding officer of the legislature, Peter Schmitt, said through a spokesman that the nomination had passed the Rules Committee and would be taken up Monday.

Ciampoli fired back at Yatauro with a statement attacking her, the media and Democrats. In it, he said that Democrats had their share of issues, including former Legis. Roger Corbin of Westbury, who recently pleaded guilty to tax evasion.

"Ms. Yatauro and some of her fellow Democrats have very short memories. Just last year, one of their own was convicted of tax evasion . . . One former legislator, Patrick Williams, was convicted of mortgage fraud and then appointed to OTB. All of these crimes happened while the Democrats were in power. Where was the media circus then?" the statement said.

An old federal tax lien against Ciampoli for $223,100, filed in 2002, has been satisfied, records show, but another filed Feb. 24, 2009, is still open.

The records don't specify the nature of the IRS claim.

Ciampoli released a letter, dated Feb. 26, 2010, from his accountants saying that "your tax liabilities for all periods have been paid," and that they were working to remove, "the erroneous notice of tax lien filed in your name."

He did not respond to requests through Mangano's press office for copies of his correspondence with the IRS. A spokeswoman for the IRS, Dianne Besunder, said Thursday that the agency, "can't comment in any way on an individual taxpayer."