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Pedro Espada Jr. (born October 20, 1953) is an American convicted felon and former politician. A Democrat, Espada served in the
New York Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan compo ...
. Espada was at the center of a June 2009 power struggle in the State Senate. He was one of two Democratic senators who voted to appoint Republican
Dean Skelos Dean George Skelos (born February 16, 1948) is an American former politician from Long Island, New York. A Republican, Skelos served in the New York State Assembly and later represented the Ninth District in the New York State Senate from 1985 t ...
as Majority Leader. After his return to the Democratic caucus on July 9, 2009, Espada was chosen as Senate Majority Leader; he is the first Hispanic to have held that post. Dogged by scandals, he was defeated by Gustavo Rivera in a September 2010 primary election. On December 14, 2010, Espada was indicted on six federal counts of embezzlement and theft; he was stripped of his leadership position in the State Senate the same day and left office in January 2011. Espada was convicted on federal corruption charges in May 2012 and was sentenced to five years in prison.


Early life and career

Espada was born in
Coamo, Puerto Rico Coamo (, ) is a Coamo barrio-pueblo, town and Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality founded in 1579 in the south-central region of Puerto Rico, located north of Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico, Santa Isabel; south of Orocovis, Puerto Rico, Oroc ...
in 1953 and moved with his family to
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
at the age of five. His family settled in the
Mott Haven Mott Haven is an American primarily residential neighborhood in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of the Bronx. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise, are East 149th Street to the north, the Bruckner E ...
section of
the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...
, where he attended the
New York City Public Schools The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) is the department of the government of New York City that manages the city's public school system. The City School District of the City of New York (or the New York City Public Schools) is t ...
. He attended
Fordham University Fordham University () is a Private university, private Jesuit universities, Jesuit research university in New York City. Established in 1841 and named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the The Bronx, Bronx in which its origina ...
, and graduated in 1975 with a
Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
degree. Espada subsequently took graduate level coursework at the
Hunter College Hunter College is a public university in New York City. It is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York and offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools. It also admi ...
School of Social Work, received graduate training certificates from open enrollment programs at the
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania ( ; also known as Wharton Business School, the Wharton School, Penn Wharton, and Wharton) is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, a Private university, private Ivy League rese ...
and from the
Columbia Mailman School of Public Health The Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health is the public health graduate school of Columbia University. Located on the Columbia University Medical Center campus in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, the school i ...
, and received certification in 1990 from the Real Estate Institute at NYU's School of Continuing and Professional Studies.Pedro Espada Jr.'s Biography
New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...
. Accessed June 8, 2009.
In the late 1970s, Espada was a
community organizer Community organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other or share some common problem come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest. Unlike those who promote more-consensual community bui ...
and educator in
Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...
and the
Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Traditionally an im ...
in
Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
, and in the
South Bronx The South Bronx is an area of the New York City Borough (New York City), borough of the Bronx. The area comprises neighborhoods in the southern part of the Bronx, such as Concourse, Bronx, Concourse, Mott Haven, Bronx, Mott Haven, Melrose, B ...
. He established and served as president of the Comprehensive Community Development Corporation and was the executive director of the Soundview Health Center. Espada had become head of the tenant's association at Stevenson Commons and led the effort in 1978 to open what became the Soundview Health Center after the city's economic problems led to a decision to not establish a promised clinic in the complex. The empty building that was to have been the clinic was leased by the group and $50,000 in federal grants was obtained, with the first patient taken in October 1981. By 1992, Soundview was offering medical and preventive care to 45,000 patients annually, and was also running a computer literacy program, serving lunch to hundreds of seniors daily and distributing surplus food. ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' noted that the health center featured Espada's name and image throughout the facility, describing it as having "elements of a cult of personality"; Espada explained, "the community has to know you" so that "in the end, they will trust you".


Political career

In 1988, Espada ran in the Democratic primary for the nomination in , which at the time covered the largely
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
and
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
heart of the South Bronx, against incumbent Robert García.Staff
"Seven House Primaries Among Most Visible Races in New York Region"
''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', September 6, 1988. Accessed June 9, 2009.
Espada, mounting a challenge against what would normally be a
safe seat A safe seat is an electoral district (constituency) in a legislative body (e.g. Congress, Parliament, City Council) which is regarded as fully secure, for either a certain political party, or the incumbent representative personally or a combinat ...
for renomination, made an issue of García's involvement in the
Wedtech scandal The Wedtech scandal was an American political scandal involving the award of government contracts. It was first brought to light in 1986. History The Wedtech Corporation was founded in the Bronx, New York by John Mariotta, and originally manufac ...
, which resulted in the loss of 1,500 jobs in the economically challenged district. In the primary, Espada was endorsed by ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', which called him "articulate, focused and knowledgeable about health and poverty" based on his experience with the Soundview Health Center and encouraged voters to "send a powerful message by supporting candidates who have been neither burned nor singed". Espada was also endorsed by '' El Diario'' and ''
The Amsterdam News The ''Amsterdam News'' (also known as ''New York Amsterdam News'') is a weekly Black-owned newspaper serving New York City. It is one of the oldest newspapers geared toward African Americans in the United States and has published columns by s ...
'', but received few endorsements from political figures. García won renomination with 60 percent of the vote to Espada's 27 percent. Espada was elected to represent the 32nd Senate District in the Southeast Bronx, which included the neighborhoods of Soundview, Hunts Point, Mott Haven and Parkchester. He served in office from 1993 to 1996 and again from 2001 to 2002, with
David Rosado David Rosado (born August 21, 1942) is an American politician from New York. Life Rosado was born on August 21, 1942, in Morovis, Puerto Rico. The family moved to New York City where he attended the public schools. He became active in community a ...
holding office in the intervening years. In July 1996, the ''New York Observer'' reported that Espada did not live in the district when he ran for office and since he had been elected to the state legislature, in violation of New York State residency laws. He had moved to a house overlooking the Long Island Sound, "located on a cul-de-sac in a lushly green and exclusive neighborhood, only 16 miles from the South Bronx," in Mamaroneck, in Westchester County, the year before he ran for the State Senate, in 1991, according to Westchester County real estate records, reported the Manhattan-based weekly. When a reporter visited the house listed as the address for a car leased by the Medicaid-funded Comprehensive Community Development Corporation for the use of his wife, Connie, "Mr. Espada could be found lounging by the pool, dressed in a white tank-top and baby-blue shorts with a matching baseball cap." Also in 1996, Espada was indicted for using $70,000 from a city-financed HMO to fund his unsuccessful reelection campaign. When Espada's son, Pedro Gautier Espada, was elected to the
New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...
in 1996, the two became the first father and son in the
New York State Legislature The New York State Legislature consists of the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York: The New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly. The Constitution of New York does not designate an official ...
to represent different districts in the Bronx. In the 1996 primary, the Bronx Democratic Party ran a candidate against Espada and successfully challenged his petitions in court. Espada ran on the Liberal Party line, and lost to David Rosado, 78% to 21%. In their 2000 rematch, Espada wrested the Democratic nomination from Rosado, who was forced to defend his seat in the Senate on the Liberal and Working Families Party lines. Espada, having the Democratic line, won the election handily. In 2000, Espada was acquitted on charges of using $200,000 from a Soundview Health Management Organization to pay off campaign debts from 1996. He was found not guilty by arguing that the HMO was allowed to do as it wished with federal money. Four employees were found guilty of using taxpayer funds to help the campaigns of Espada and his son. In 2001, Espada ran for Bronx Borough President, but was defeated by Adolfo Carrion Jr. in the Democratic primary election. Carrion received 48,913 votes, Espada received 44,124 votes, and June Margolin Eislan received 26,815 votes. The State of New York pulled funding for some of Espada's nonprofits in 2002 due to "administrative deficiencies and apparent misuse of funds." In 2002, Espada was defeated in a Democratic primary for his Senate seat. Incumbent City Councilmember Ruben Diaz, Sr. won that primary by 97 votes. Espada sought a new primary in court, but was denied. He then ran unsuccessfully for his old seat on the Republican and Independence lines while remaining registered as a Democrat. Espada was elected to the Senate in 2008 for a seat in the 33rd District, succeeding
Efrain Gonzalez Efrain Gonzalez Jr. (born 1948) is an American politician and convicted felon who served as a member of the New York State Senate from 1990 to 2008. Early life Gonzalez was born in Coamo, Puerto Rico, and his family moved to mainland United S ...
. The 33rd District is in the Northwest Bronx, including the neighborhoods of Bedford Park, Fordham, Norwood, and Kingsbridge Heights. At that time, he owed in excess of $60,000 in fines to the
New York City Campaign Finance Board The New York City Campaign Finance Board (CFB) is an independent New York City agency that serves to provide campaign finance information to the public, enable more citizens to run for office by granting public matching funds, increase voter part ...
related to races as far back as his 2001 run for Bronx Borough President. The campaign for his 2008 State Senate run had not registered with the
New York State Board of Elections The New York State Board of Elections is a bipartisan agency of the New York state government within the New York State Executive Department responsible for enforcement and administration of election-related laws. It also regulates campaign fina ...
and fines were assessed against Espada's 2000 Senate campaign for required reports that had not been filed. Espada acknowledged that mistakes had been made but insisted that some of the accusations were unfair. Espada voted in favor of same-sex marriage legislation on December 2, 2009, but the bill was defeated.


June 2009 leadership crisis

Though there were 32 Democrats and 30 Republicans in the Senate, on June 8, 2009, Espada and
Hiram Monserrate Hiram Monserrate (born July 12, 1967) is an American politician and convicted felon from the State of New York. A Democrat, Monserrate represented New York's 13th State Senate District in Queens from January 1, 2009 until February 9, 2010, when ...
(D-Queens) were part of what was described by the ''
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
'' as a "parliamentary coup" and voted with the 30 Republican members to install Senator
Dean Skelos Dean George Skelos (born February 16, 1948) is an American former politician from Long Island, New York. A Republican, Skelos served in the New York State Assembly and later represented the Ninth District in the New York State Senate from 1985 t ...
(R-Nassau) as the new majority leader of the Senate, replacing Senator Malcolm Smith (D-Queens). In a press release posted to his Senate web page, Espada emphasized that "I remain a staunch, reform Democrat. I have not switched parties," and that his actions were intended to help end the "gridlock, paralysis, secretiveness, threats and partisan politics" that the Senate had experienced in the previous months and that he was not part of "a power grab or a coup" but was working to build a coalition to serve the needs of all New Yorkers with open and transparent government. However, when pressed by
Wayne Barrett Wayne Barrett (July 11, 1945 – January 19, 2017) was an American journalist. He worked as an Investigative journalism, investigative reporter and Managing editor, senior editor for ''The Village Voice'' for 37 years, until he was laid off ...
on June 11, 2009, as to whether he felt allegiance to the Democratic party, the Senator claimed he owed nothing to a political party that spent "hundreds of thousands" to defeat his past elections. The switch was preceded by several weeks of private talks brokered by upstate billionaire
Tom Golisano Blase Thomas Golisano (born November 14, 1941) is an American billionaire businessman and philanthropist. He is the founder of Paychex, which offers payroll and human resources services to businesses. Golisano owned Greenlight Networks, a fiber ...
. In the early evening of July 9, 2009, Espada switched his allegiance back with the Democratic Party, and was then selected the Senate Majority Leader of the New York State Senate. He is the first Hispanic to have held that post.


2009-2010 investigations and legal difficulties

Espada claimed a co-op apartment in Bedford Park as his district residence. Several residents of the Bronx co-op said they never saw him there. The
Bronx County District Attorney The Bronx County District Attorney is the elected district attorney for Bronx County, which is coterminous with the Borough of the Bronx, in New York City. The office is responsible for the prosecution of violations of New York state laws. (Fed ...
opened an investigation in 2009. In 2009,
New York State Attorney General The attorney general of New York is the chief legal officer of the U.S. state of New York and head of the Department of Law of the state government. The office has been in existence in some form since 1626, under the Dutch colonial government of ...
Andrew Cuomo Andrew Mark Cuomo ( ; ; born December 6, 1957) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 56th governor of New York from 2011 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected to the same position that his father, Mario Cuo ...
investigated Espada's use of the Soundview Health Clinic for personal political reasons. Clinic offices also advertised Espada's name on the front canopy, displayed campaign posters on clinic grounds, and displayed posters of Espada surrounded by smiling children. In 2010, Espada was investigated by federal investigators and the
IRS The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory tax ...
for his ties with a consulting firm called "A-1 Multi-Service LLC" over suspicions that the firm, which appeared to not have a valid office, might be a
shell company A shell corporation is a company or corporation that exists only on paper and has no office and no employees, but may have a bank account or may hold passive investments or be the registered owner of assets, such as intellectual property, or s ...
for
tax fraud Tax evasion is an illegal attempt to defeat the imposition of taxes by individuals, corporations, trusts, and others. Tax evasion often entails the deliberate misrepresentation of the taxpayer's affairs to the tax authorities to reduce the taxp ...
and
money laundering Money laundering is the process of concealing the origin of money, obtained from illicit activities such as drug trafficking, corruption, embezzlement or gambling, by converting it into a legitimate source. It is a crime in many jurisdictions ...
. On April 20, 2010, Cuomo sued Espada for siphoning $14 million from the Soundview Health Clinic for personal expenses. The lawsuit covered five years of spending, which included $80,000 in restaurant bills (which included $20,000 in
sushi is a Japanese cuisine, Japanese dish of prepared , usually with some sugar and salt, accompanied by a variety of , such as seafood, often raw, and vegetables. Styles of sushi and its presentation vary widely, but the one key ingredient is " ...
delivered to Espada's
Mamaroneck Mamaroneck ( ) is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 31,758 at the 2020 United States census over 29,156 at the 2010 census. There are two villages contained within the town: Larchmont and the Village of M ...
home), personal trips including to
Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
and
Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
, and renting a residence required to establish residency in the district for his Senate race in 2008. The lawsuit also sought to remove Espada from the board of directors of Soundview and replace the board, which Cuomo characterized as being "packed with family and friends that Mr. Espada could control directly and indirectly." Federal and IRS agents raided two of Espada's offices in the Bronx on April 21, 2010 and his office records were
subpoena A subpoena (; also subpœna, supenna or subpena) or witness summons is a writ issued by a government agency, most often a court, to compel testimony by a witness or production of evidence under a penalty for failure. There are two common types of ...
ed the following day. On April 24, 2010, Espada walked out of the taping of an interview with reporter Marcia Kramer of
WCBS-TV WCBS-TV (channel 2) is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the CBS network. It is owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations division alongside Riverhead, New York–licensed independent station WL ...
after issues of his actual residence was revisited. Espada got testy when Kramer reminded him that when she approached him last year outside his Mamaroneck home, he donned an orange ski cap and held a baby in front of his face to hide from the camera before speeding off in a car driven by his wife Connie Espada. On April 29, 2010, Espada was hit with a civil lawsuit for allegedly pocketing $1.35 million in a sham job training program. The suit focused on "Espada Management Company", a company run by Espada's son and the company that was hired to provide janitorial services for Espada's Soundview Health Clinics. According to the suit, Espada paid the trainees below
minimum wage A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their employees—the price floor below which employees may not sell their labor. Most countries had introduced minimum wage legislation by the end of the 20th century. Bec ...
— as little as $1.70/hr — to mop floors and scrub toilets. During a later interview conducted by
Diana Williams Diana Williams (born July 18, 1958) is a retired American television journalist. She was a news anchor at WABC television in New York City, where she co-anchored the one-hour 5 p.m. ''Eyewitness News'' broadcast. She also hosted the Sunday mo ...
on
WABC-TV WABC-TV (channel 7) is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the ABC network. Owned and operated by the network's ABC Owned Television Stations division, the station maintains studios in the Lincoln Square neighbor ...
, Espada's defense was characterized as turning personal against Andrew Cuomo. Espada repeatedly called Attorney General Cuomo the "Prince of Darkness" and claimed Cuomo's success to be because of the success of his father, former New York governor
Mario Cuomo Mario Matthew Cuomo (, ; June 15, 1932 – January 1, 2015) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 52nd governor of New York for three terms, from 1983 to 1994. A member of the Democratic Party, Cuomo previously served as t ...
. Several state senators—including fellow Democrats
Neil Breslin Neil Breslin (born June 9, 1942) is an American attorney and politician serving as a member of the New York State Senate. A Democrat, he represents parts of Albany and Rensselaer counties, including all of the cities of Albany and Rensselae ...
,
Darrel Aubertine Darrel J. Aubertine (born June 3, 1953) is an American politician and farmer from the State of New York. A Democrat, Aubertine served as Commissioner of the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets from April 2011 to October 2013. H ...
, and
David Valesky David J. Valesky (b. circa 1966) is an American politician who is a former member of the New York State Senate. A Democrat, Valesky represented the 53rd Senate District and the 49th Senate District in upstate New York. Career Valesky was fi ...
—called for Espada to step down from his Senate leadership positions. State Senator
Martin Golden Martin J. Golden (born September 22, 1950) is an American politician from Brooklyn, New York, one of the five boroughs of New York City. A Republican, Golden represented the 43rd district in the New York City Council from 1998 to 2002 and repr ...
of Brooklyn also introduced an amendment to force Espada from his majority leader position. Nassau County District Attorney
Kathleen Rice Kathleen Maura Rice (born February 15, 1965) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the United States representative for New York's 4th congressional district. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Before serving in Congress, Rice se ...
said that Espada could not lead anymore amid the investigations against him. State Senator
Eric Schneiderman Eric Tradd Schneiderman (born December 31, 1954) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 65th Attorney General of New York from 2011 until his resignation in May 2018. Schneiderman, a member of the Democratic Party, spent ten year ...
also called for Espada to not only step down from his senate position, but also forfeit his stipend. On June 9, 2010, residents from the 33rd Bronx Senate district, which Espada represented, descended upon Espada's out-of-district Mamaroneck home in Westchester County to protest for his ousting.


2010 re-election campaign

Despite being under investigation by the Bronx District Attorney, the FBI, the IRS, and the New York State Attorney General, Espada ran for re-election to his 33rd State Senate District seat. He was challenged by a number of candidates, including (José) Gustavo Rivera. The New Roosevelt Initiative, an
independent expenditure An independent expenditure, in elections in the United States, is a political campaign communication that Issue advocacy ads, expressly advocates for the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate that is not made in cooperation, consulta ...
group led by Bill Samuels, pledged to donate $250,000 to a candidate who sought to defeat Espada. The
New York State Democratic Committee The New York State Democratic Committee is the affiliate of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Its headquarters are in Manhattan, and it has an office in Albany, New York, Alba ...
launched efforts to oust Espada from the party. The week of July 5, the Committee sent a letter to Bronx party leaders calling for the cancellation of Espada's membership. They said Espada did not support party goals because he had joined with Republicans the previous summer in the power play that ground Senate business to a halt for a month. In response, on July 12, 2010, Espada claimed that the charges against him were filed due to racism. Espada said, "If you look brown and you're an immigrant, you're not supposed to have power". Furthermore, Espada proclaimed, "I have God on my side!" On August 9, 2010, two major labor unions — the 1199
SEIU Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is a labor union representing almost 1.9 million workers in over 100 occupations in the United States and Canada. SEIU is focused on organizing workers in three sectors: healthcare (over half of members ...
and 32BJ — endorsed Espada's opponent for the 33rd district seat. Espada lost the primary election to Gustavo Rivera on September 14, 2010, 32.66% to 62.21%. In his concession speech, Espada blamed unions, outside influence, and the media for his defeat. Espada also refused to call primary winner Rivera personally.


Indictment, demotion, conviction, and aftermath

On December 14, 2010, Espada and his son, Pedro Gautier Espada, were indicted on six federal counts of embezzlement and theft. The indictment was by U.S. Attorney
Loretta E. Lynch Loretta Elizabeth Lynch (born May 21, 1959) is an American lawyer who served as the 83rd attorney general of the United States from 2015 to 2017. She was appointed by President Barack Obama to succeed Eric Holder and previously served as the Un ...
, and also announced by New York State Attorney General and Governor-elect Andrew Cuomo. According to Cuomo, the Espadas embezzled public money for personal use, including purchases of food, Broadway show tickets, and a down payment for a Bentley car. They faced up to 55 years in prison if convicted of all charges. The same day Espada was indicted, he was stripped of his title and position as Senate Majority Leader. He left office in January 2011. On May 14, 2012, after 11 days of deliberation, a federal jury found Espada guilty of embezzling money from federally funded healthcare clinics. Espada was sentenced to five years in prison. Espada served his prison sentence in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, and complained about the conditions at the facility while incarcerated. Espada's prisoner number was 78764-053 and he was released on October 30, 2017.


See also

*
2009 New York State Senate leadership crisis 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Arabic digit In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and ...


References


External links

*


Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Espada, Pedro Jr 1953 births Living people People from Coamo, Puerto Rico Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in New York (state) Democratic Party New York (state) state senators Majority leaders of the New York State Senate New York City Council members Hispanic and Latino American New York City Council members Fordham University alumni People from Mamaroneck, New York New York (state) politicians convicted of corruption New York (state) politicians convicted of crimes Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health alumni 21st-century American politicians Politicians from the Bronx