A Federal Grand Jury has been reviewing the evidence against Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno for quite some time now. This weekend information was leaked out that prosecutors have determined that they could charge Bruno with depriving the public of the "honest services" of its government. Or to put it succinctly, for being a corrupt bastard.
The Times Union has the goods:
The investigation appears to focus on horse racing, an industry Bruno has staunchly supported and in which he has a deep personal interest. It comes at a time when New York's storied racing industry has been mired in allegations of mismanagement by its longtime operator, the New York Racing Association.NYRA's contract to run the state's three thoroughbred tracks expires at the end of the year and is imperiled by a heated takeover bid from several competing racing consortiums, including some whose investors have strong ties to Bruno and other elected officials.
In addition, the federal subpoenas have targeted records from the senator's private consulting business; a series of state grants awarded to a Troy nanotechnology company that is financially backed by Bruno's close friend; and people involved with the senator's private horse breeding efforts.
Corruption is a rampant disease in New York's state government. Cleaning up this particular mess depends on Glenn Suddaby, the U.S. Attorney for the northern district of New York. As a Bush appointee that hasn't been fired yet, I'm wary that he will make the ultimate decision of charging Bruno, especially since the grand jury has had the information for so long and Bruno's confidence seems to be more than putting up a facade.
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