Queens political operative John Haggerty has been found guilty of grand larceny in the second degree and money laundering. He faces up to 15 years in prison.
The longtime Republican get-out-the-vote specialist had been accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s re-election campaign in order to buy his family home. Read More
12:18 Short recess. Bloomberg remains on the stand. Some surprise in the peanut gallery here about way the cross-examination has gone, focusing more on Bloomberg’s credibility and less on how the IP operates.
12:13 Question of how decision was made to split the $100k donation from the $1.1 million he gave for ballot security
12:11 Costello is growing frustrated, says Bloomberg is not answering questions he is asking. He should try going to a Q and A
12:08 Costello now trying to submit into evidence passages from Bloomberg’s memoir that shows that he has a propensity to lie.
12:03 Costello returns to question of Bloomberg paying for lawyers for Sheekey, Harris, etc. Bloomberg says he doesn’t know how much they are being paid.
12:00 Costello to judge: “I don’t like it when he doesn’t answer my questions!” Read More
A spokesman for Mayor Mike Bloomberg called John Haggerty, the Queens political operative who stands accused of bilking the mayor for over $1 million, a liar who will say anything to avoid a prison term.
“The District Attorney has said that the Mayor did not break any law.
“And as the District Attorney made clear in today’s opening statement, the person accused of breaking the law in this trial is Mr. Haggerty, who the evidence will show stole money from Mayor Bloomberg through outright lies. Read More
The trial of a Queens political operative accused of bilking Mayor Michael Bloomberg for over $1 million kicked off this morning with the defense laying clear their strategy in their opening statement: the real wrongdoer is the mayor himself.
Attorneys for John Haggerty, the political operative, repeatedly told the jury that Bloomberg wanted to win his 2009 re-election bid “at all costs,” even if meant breaking campaign finance law and coordinating election day operations with the Independence Party, whom contracted Haggerty to provide ballot security. Read More
