Power on Trial: The defense attacks Singh’s credibility

Credibility check

Kevin Keating, Edward Mangano’s lawyer, had just 18 minutes to begin his cross-examination of Harendra Singh, so he started where it mattered most for a witness who’d just admitted to living a lie — Singh’s credibility.

Just minutes earlier, Singh told jurors — before detailing a list, by my count, of 21 fraudulent or criminal acts — that he decided in April 2016 to cooperate with federal authorities.

“I realized that I had been living a life of lies and deception, so I needed to come forward and tell the truth,” he said in the federal corruption trial of former Nassau County Executive Mangano, his wife, Linda, and former Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto.

At 4:42 p.m., Keating rose from his chair and began hammering away at Singh on that very point.

“You testified 10 minutes ago that you decided you had been living a lie,” Keating, of Garden City, said.

He noted that Singh’s decision to cooperate came after spending several months at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. “The MDC is a hell hole?” Keating asked.

“Yes,” Singh answered.

And then Keating began quizzing Singh about why Edward and Linda Mangano would — as Singh had testified — have been relieved at Singh’s decision to ask an employee to scrub his business computers, because potential evidence of fraudulent financial transactions in Singh’s server were the result of Singh’s actions, not theirs.

At several points, Singh appeared to get testy, at one point snapping at Keating, “You want the answer, right?”

That may well continue as cross examination continues Tuesday with Keating — and, in the days after, with defense attorneys for Linda Mangano and John Venditto as well.

Tech time

Jurors heard — or make that, tried to hear — recorded conversations between Frederick Mei, a former deputy Oyster Bay town attorney who wore a wire for the government, and Singh.

But the audio quality was so awful that, at one point U.S. District Court Judge Joan M. Azrack called lawyers to a sidebar — as jurors stretched to the whine of the courtroom’s “white noise” machine — and afterward allowed Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine M. Mirabile to question Singh about the conversation.

As it was, the proceedings began late because of computer issues. And then the microphones were discovered to be not working, either.

Still, jurors got plentiful material.

There were silent videos, courtesy of security cameras put into place outside the Mangano home by the Nassau police department, showing FBI agents during a visit, and the same agents, armed with a grand jury subpoena, on a subsequent one. Jurors also saw Linda Mangano, Edward Mangano, Singh and, at one point, former Singh lawyer Joseph Conway, go into and out of the house.

At each point, Mirabile asked Singh to say what the courtroom had just seen, seeking detail on conversations he and the Manganos had — at a dining room table and in the kitchen — after the FBI came visiting.

He said the group wanted to “get their stories straight” about work Linda Mangano did for Singh.

Meanwhile, in late morning, the jury also heard Singh describe how he and Mei used “burner phones” for two to three months in an attempt to avoid scrutiny.

By the time Keating rose to begin cross examination, techwise, at least, all was well in Courtroom 920.

He eats, he pays

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo showed up — in a photograph — at the trial, another in the seemingly endless line of politicians who ate at Singh’s flagship Bethpage restaurant, H.R. Singletons.

Singh testified that Cuomo’s security contingent paid for the governor’s breakfast with a Cuomo credit card.

Singh also said that Mangano, when told about the transaction, seemed angry.

How did you know? Mirabile asked.

“From his body language,” Singh answered.

But Singh also had hoped — and failed — to use the Cuomo visit for another reason.

He testified that his then-attorney, Joseph Conway of Mineola, had wanted to meet Cuomo because Conway wanted to succeed Kathleen Rice, who had just been elected to Congress.

Cuomo could have appointed a DA to hold the office until an election was held. And, in a series of texts projected onto multiple screens, Conway and Singh talked about the possibility that perhaps — with Edward Mangano’s permission — Conway could meet Cuomo that morning.

But that, Singh testified, was not to be.

Breaking for lunch

The atmosphere changed, seemingly in an instant, from amused — over Singh’s morning testimony of discounted weddings and free food for Nassau and Oyster Bay Town elected officials and politicians — to silence as Singh began crying on the stand.

Mirabile, after taking Singh through a series of his recollections of the weddings he had discounted, successful job lobbying, and lots and lots of free meals, changed directions in the early afternoon.

She asked Singh when he was arrested.

“Sept. 9, 2015,” Singh answered.

Afterward, he testified, his businesses began to close.

Did the businesses receive violations from the Town of Oyster Bay, Mirabile asked.

Singh, without saying yes or no, explained that he had been arrested a second time, in December 2015.

“My mom and my dad were,” he said, as his face began to redden, “they were heartbroken.”

By then, Singh was crying openly, at one point removing his glasses to wipe at his tears.

It was one of Singh’s few shows of emotion in his five days on the witness stand.

U.S. District Court Judge Joan M. Azrack asked Mirabile if it was a good time to stop for the lunch break.

Mirabile said yes.

Here come the brides

Looks as if former Oyster Bay Parks Commissioner Frank Nocerino came up on top among the government and political leaders who received discounted weddings courtesy of Singh, according to Singh’s testimony.

Singh said he gave Nocerino, who retired last year after being indicted on state-related corruption charges, a 50 percent discount on a wedding for one daughter at The Woodlands, Oyster Bay Town’s golf course in Woodbury.

And, Singh said, he gave a similar discount for another daughter’s wedding at Water’s Edge in Long Island City, in Queens.

Joseph Mondello, head of Nassau’s Republican Party — who recently was nominated to be U.S. Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago — came in second, with what ended up being a 46 percent discount for the wedding of his daughter Lisa, according to Singh’s testimony.

Joseph Muscarella, a town council member, received a 40 percent to 45 percent discount on his daughter’s wedding at The Woodlands, Singh testified.

Town council member Anthony D. Macagnone came in last, according to Singh’s testimony, with “30 to 40 percent” discount on a Woodlands’ wedding.

The jury appeared to be paying rapt attention as Singh detailed the discounts and how some of the officials either pushed for lower bills or, in Muscarella’s case, didn’t pay the entire discounted tab.

No tempest in those teapots

There was a time, according to Singh, when the Singhs and the Manganos exchanged gifts. “I gave them a silver teapot,” he testified Thursday, “they gave a china teapot to me.”

He couldn’t remember the exact year.

“Back in 1993 or 1994,” Singh said. “We exchanged Christmas gifts.”

And then, under continued questioning from Mirabile, Singh testified about a few more things.

“Ed bought me expensive sunglasses,” he said, putting the cost at $200 or $300, and the year at somewhere around 2011 and 2012.

Before Mangano assumed office as Nassau county executive in 2010, Singh recalled, he would see the Manganos and his family at H.R. Singletons, usually about once a month or less.

“Most of the time, they came in and they paid,” he said. “They were our friends for a very long time.”

After Mangano became county executive, Singh testified, the family visited the restaurant more frequently.

Between 2010 and 2014, Mirabile asked, did they pay for their meals?

“No,” Singh replied.

“They were friends for 20 years,” Singh said, “and now he was empowered to help, so he could do favors for us whenever we needed help.

“We want to make sure that he is happy.”

Click here to subscribe to The Point, Newsday Editorial Board’s daily opinion newsletter.