New Cassel corruption trial opens

Opening arguments in a New Cassel redevelopment corruption trial began Wednesday in Nassau with the prosecution saying the four accused were part of a pay-to-play scheme, while defense attorneys told jurors a star witness was not credible and that the case lacked evidence.

On trial are former Nassau County legislators Patrick Williams, 63, of Uniondale, and Roger Corbin, 65, of Westbury. Also on trial are North Hempstead's former Community Development Agency director Neville Mullings, 70, of Westbury, and the town's former building and planning commissioner, David Wasserman, 53, of Roslyn Heights.

The four were indicted in July 2010 on allegations of fraud, official misconduct and taking the proceeds of a public project. The case centers around three development parcels in New Cassel and claims by the prosecution that developer Ranjan Batheja paid more than $400,000 in bribes to secure rights to build on the parcels.

Williams, Corbin and Mullings are accused of taking money from Batheja, while Wasserman, who was also chairman of the Community Development Agency, has been characterized as playing along to maintain his hold on power. The prosecution also claims that all the accused but Williams worked to steer $150,000 in county revitalization funds to Batheja's company to cover the costs of union labor.

"This is yet another development for a community that deserved better," Assistant District Attorney Teresa Corrigan told the jury.

Batheja was arrested in February 2010 and charged with bribery. Corrigan told the jury Batheja had pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate. His case records are under seal.

Corrigan said inside information was provided to Batheja to make his development bid superior to others. The developer paid $200,000 to Williams, Corrigan said, in exchange for exclusive rights Williams said he needed to attract a targeted bank to the area. Batheja paid the fee after another company turned down a similar offer. "The people who were looking to sell the award of the site had found someone . . . and it was a match made in corruption heaven," Corrigan said. She said the bank rights weren't exclusive and that the firm would have come to New Cassel regardless of the developer.

Attorneys for the defendants questioned Batheja's credibility because of past legal troubles and said there was no evidence supporting Corrigan's claims.

But Williams' attorney, Michael Rosen, of Manhattan, said Williams did have an agreement signed by the bank to come to New Cassel and that Williams had a unique, exclusive relationship with the president and chief executive.

He disputed claims by Corrigan that Williams and others had a draft version of a request for development proposals. "They were entrenched in the community," Rosen said. "They knew what was going on before it was going on."

Corrigan said Batheja paid Corbin monthly bribes by check. Corbin's attorney Kenneth St. Bernard, of Mineola, disagreed. "The people said this was a bribe," St. Bernard said in his opening statement. "A person taking money he's not supposed to have is not going to take it by check."