Weiner's out, but other pols facing probes
Sen. Carl Kruger (D-Brooklyn) during a session of the New York state Senate at the Capitol in Albany. (June 17, 2011) Credit: AP File, 2011
Rep.Anthony Weiner's flameout took three weeks, start to finish -- from the first exposure of obscene tweets through his false denials, admissions of lying and vows to seek help, up to his resignation announcement and Hamptons getaway.
For a representative of Queens -- where pols turn perp with alarming frequency -- this might be a speed record. And, like ex-Gov. Eliot Spitzer, Weiner was never even charged with a crime.
But rest assured. Criminal investigations of others go on, and will affect more people over time -- even if they yield none of Weinergate's puns and giggles.
Scan highlights of other, slow-simmering scandals: Federal cases that convicted former Democratic Queens Assembs. Brian McLaughlin, now in prison, and Anthony Seminerio, now deceased -- plus charges now pending against two Brooklyn Democrats, Asemb. William Boyland Jr. and Sen. Carl Kruger -- all touched on a corporation, Medisys, that runs hospitals in Queens.
The indictment filed in March against the latter two included accusations involving "corrupt payments" to pols, leveled at David Rosen, the multimillion-dollar-per-year executive who recently resigned as chief executive of Medisys, which runs Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center, Flushing Hospital Medical Center and Peninsula Hospital Center. Robert Aquino, former CEO of the defunct Parkway Hospital, also was charged. All four and their four co-defendants have pleaded not guilty.
Now glimpse the Aqueduct Racetrack fiasco. Eight months ago, the state inspector general referred to federal prosecutors a stinging report that faulted the roles of two state senators -- former Majority Leader Malcolm Smith (D-St. Albans) and current Minority Leader John Sampson (D-Brooklyn) -- and others favoring a big casino deal, later canceled, for Aqueduct Entertainment Group. They admitted mistakes but denied impropriety.
In Albany last week, Sen. Eric Adams (D-Brooklyn), raised corruption concerns while debating a fire-district tax-abatement bill sponsored by John Flanagan (R-East Northport). Suddenly, Sen. Greg Ball (R-Putnam) rose to ask Adams, the former racing committee chairman, for an "update" on the pending racetrack probe. Ball's partisan shot was ruled not germane.
This type of saga may be slower than Weiner's. But it may last longer, and affect the public.
