Former deputy county exec, a one-time assemblyman, pleads not guilty to obstruction charges

Richard “Rob” Walker, former chief deputy to then {Nassau} County Executive Ed Mangano, pleaded not guilty Thursday to federal charges of obstruction of justice and making false statements to FBI agents. He was released on $200,000 surety bond, for which he and his wife put up their Hicksville home.

According to court papers, the case against Walker, 43, centers around a $5,000 payment made to him in Indiana at a University of Notre Dame football game by an unnamed contractor in 2014, and Walker’s attempts to conceal the payment from investigators. The government contends that Walker attempted to “obstruct and impede” a federal grand jury investigation, and lied to the FBI about receiving the $5,000 from the unnamed individual.

Walker, a Republican from Hicksville, represented the 15th Assembly District, which includes East Meadow, from 2005 to 2009. Before that, he was a full-time employee in the Town of Oyster Bay Parks Department from 1998 to 2005. He is also the son of Rose Marie Walker, a Republican county legislator and former Oyster Bay councilwoman.

The former state assemblyman surrendered his passport to the court after his indictment and was asked to surrender all weapons in his possession to a local police precinct. Walker must ask permission from the court’s pretrial services division if he wants to leave the New York area.

Read more: http://liherald.com/stories/former-deputy-county-exec-assemblyman-indicted,100431