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County Executive Mangano, Town Supervisor Venditto arrested on corruption charges

Mangano calls bribery and fraud accusations 'ridiculous,' says he's innocent

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Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano, along with his wife, Linda, and Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto, were arrested early Thursday on a 13-count federal corruption, fraud and bribery indictment, according to officials at the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.

Edward Mangano was separately charged with extortion, which officials noted was not violent.

Court officials herded in dozens of media members for a news conference at Federal Plaza in Central Islip later that morning, where U.S. District Attorney Robert Capers unsealed the indictment.


The three were arraigned before Judge Sandra Feuerstein in U.S. District Court in Central Islip.

“Sadly, we are again confronted with public officials who are alleged to have used their positions of trust, in this case the highest-ranking elected official in Nassau County and in the Town of Oyster Bay, for their own corrupt benefit, thereby abusing the public trust,” Capers told the packed room of reporters. “With this indictment, we again send a clear message that no one is above the law.”

Only yesterday, Brian Nevin, the county executive's spokesman, had called reports of Mangano's possible arrest "nonsense." Kevin Keating, Mangano's Garden City attorney, said that he had received no notification that his client might be arrested.

Mangano, 54, a Republican from Bethpage, won election as county executive in 2009, defeating Democrat Thomas Suozzi. Mangano had previously served seven terms as a county legislator.

The bribery and fraud scheme outlined in the indictment ran from 2010 through 2015.

The federal charges against Edward Mangano stem from the county's executive dealings with a powerful restaurateur, who is not identified in the indictment, but who is widely believed to be Harenda Singh. Allegedly, Singh offered free vacations to exotic locales and other perquisites, including a massage chair, an expensive watch and hardwood flooring to Mangano and his wife in exchange for help with his business dealings.

The FBI executed two search warrants at Mangano's home in Bethpage and his office in Mineola early Thursday, where some of the items were found, Capers said.

Linda Mangano, 54, also reportedly received a $450,000 no-show job at one of the restaurateur's establishments. She claimed to be a "food taster," among other unnamed responsibilities, Capers said.

Venditto, 67, of North Massapequa, the father of State Sen. Michael Venditto, has held the Oyster Bay supervisor's post since 1998. He had previously served as the town attorney and as a town councilman. He last won election in 2015. According to the indictment, John Venditto was offered free limousine services and use of the restaurateur's facilities to hold fundraisers at a discounted rate.

Additionally, the Manganos and Venditto were charged with obstruction of justice for their alleged attempts to cover up the bribery and fraud scheme, the indictment states.

Mangano, accompanied by his wife and attorney Kevin Keating, spoke briefly to the press outside the U.S. DIstrict Courthouse in Central Islip after his arraignment, saying that Singh was a close friend to him for 25 years and "like a brother ... to my wife."
"This is an innocent man trying to go about the work of the county," Keating added.

Mangano said he would not yet be able to comment on specific charges, but would be proven innocent, calling the charges "ridiculous."

"America is the greatest country in the world ... I plan on continuing to govern," he said.

If convicted, Edward Mangano and John Vendito each face 20-year prison terms for each of the fraud and conspiracy charges against them, 10 years on the federal program bribery charge and five years for conspiracy to commit federal program bribery.

Separately, Mangano faces up to 20 years on the extortion charge.

The Manganos and Venditto face 20 years on the obstruction of justice charge.

“Both were responsible for upholding the rule of law while acting in their official capacity,” said William Sweeney, the FBI assistant director in charge. “Neither exercised the judgment to do so.”

The FBI assistant director added that corruption is the first criminal priority for the FBI, and that the behavior of corrupt officials “ripples much further than an individual case.”

“Corruption leads to opportunities for all types of criminal activity to creep into and affect your daily lives and it wastes billions of your hard-earned tax dollars,” Sweeney said. “Perhaps just as importantly as other negative impacts, corrupt public officials tarnish our view of many other public servants who actually do serve their communities honestly, completely undercutting the community’s faith in government as a whole.”

Singh was indicted in September 2015 and charged with bribing an Oyster Bay official in exchange for an "indirect loan guarantee" of $32 million for his dozen restaurants, according to Newsday.

Capers said Thursday that the co-conspirator in the case was guaranteed four loans of more than $20 million by the Town of Oyster Bay for capital improvements on his business.

The specter of town corruption last year led to the tightest race for the Oyster Bay supervisor's post in recent memory. On Election Day, Democratic challenger John Mangelli was beating John Venditto by 68 votes –– less than 1 percent of the vote –– but absentee ballots eventually put Venditto ahead by 99 votes.

Nassau Democrats wasted no time on Thursday responding to the charges against Mangano.

“More than a year ago, I said that Nassau's archaic financial and oversight practices were a recipe for corruption, and I proposed comprehensive reforms that the Legislature and county executive have stonewalled,” Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas said in a statement. “Today's charges and our investigations underscore the importance of passing strict ethics and oversight reforms to protect taxpayers, and I renew my call for immediate action to drain this cesspool of corruption and restore confidence in the integrity of our government.”

Nassau County Democratic Committee Chairman Jay Jacobs, meanwhile, called it a sad day for Mangano, Venditto and their families. “While we are adversaries in politics, I take no comfort or pleasure in what has happened today,” Jacobs said in a statement. “If these allegations are true, they will represent a great widespread betrayal of the voters’ trust. Regardless of the legal outcome, there can no longer be any doubt that ‘business as usual’ in Nassau County politics and government must come to an end. The public’s demand for honest, credible and effective government requires it."

County Republican Committee Chairman Joseph Mondello declined to comment, though a number of Republicans and Democrats have called on Mangano and Venditto to resign on Thursday.