So why do state legislators have their financial disclosure forms hand-delivered to the Legislative Ethics Commission in Albany (or to its predecessor, the Legislative Ethics Committee), instead of mailing them? This is not the set-up for a joke but a question asked this afternoon by Assistant U.S. Attorney William Pericak to Kenneth Riddett, former chief counsel to the Senate majority, at the Joe Bruno trial. Here is Riddett's answer:
"There were concerns with federal mail fraud statutes, to be honest with you."
This dapper, white-haired and mustached consigliere was advising senators not to mail it in, so as to avoid potential federal prosecution. Not coincidentally, Bruno is being prosecuted in federal court, while the Ethics Committee and Ethics Commission never referred cases for prosecution or otherwise gave legislators a hard time. This is not a problem confined to Bruno, or legislative leaders, or either political party.
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