Bronx councilman faces charges of cheating city

A city councilman surrendered yesterday to face federal charges that he tried to cheat the city of at least $2.5 million in council discretionary funds, funneling hundreds of thousands of dollars to his girlfriend and relatives and charging the city $177 for a bagel sandwich.

The charges were contained in a Manhattan indictment against Councilman Larry Seabrook, 58, a Democrat who has represented a Bronx council district since 2002 and who was once a state senator.

Seabrook is charged with receiving corrupt payments, extortion, money laundering and conspiracy. After pleading not guilty, he was released on $500,000 bail. Lawyer Murray Richmond said: "We haven't had a chance to analyze the indictment. We don't concede a crime was committed."

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara noted an abundance of "For Sale" signs in the city: "City Hall should not be one of them."

One charge alleges that, between July 2006 and April 2009, Seabrook solicited $50,000 in payments from a Bronx boiler company executive after Seabrook lobbied the New York Yankees to select the company to furnish two boilers for $283,000 for the new stadium.

Spokeswoman Alice McGillion said the Yankees had cooperated with the probe and there was no knowledge of any wrongdoing by anyone with the team.

From 2002 through 2009, Seabrook tried to direct at least $2.5 million of council discretionary funds to nonprofits he controlled, the indictment alleged. It said Seabrook knew the groups were not doing enough legitimate work to justify the funds.

It said he paid about $530,000 in salary and "consulting" fees over seven years to his girlfriend, his brother, two sisters and his nephews, among others.

The indictment accused Seabrook of inflating the expenses of the organizations and of making other misrepresentations so he could continue funding the groups. For instance, Seabrook submitted altered receipts, including a doctored receipt for a $7 bagel sandwich and beverage that made it look like it had cost about $177.