Velella Resigns From N.Y. State Senate (Corrupt, Powerful Republican)

ALBANY, N.Y. - A powerful New York state senator facing bribery charges resigned his seat in the Legislature Friday.

Republican Sen. Guy Velella's resignation — given in letters to Lt. Gov. Mary Donohue, president of the Senate, and to Secretary of State Randy Daniels — gave no explanation. The resignation takes effect a minute before midnight. There was no immediate comment Friday from Velella.

Velella and his 90-year-old father, Vincent Velella, had been scheduled to go on trial Monday on charges the senator took at least $137,000 in return for steering contracts. Velella, his father, who is also his law partner, and three other men were indicted in May 2002.

Republicans close to Velella, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, had told The Associated Press on Thursday the resignation was part of an agreement under which Velella, whose district covers part of the Bronx and suburban Westchester County, would also plead guilty to a felony and accept a year in jail.

--continued--

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&ncid=703&e=8&u=/ap/20040515/ap_on_re_us/senator_investigated

unless he can get a day pass from jail!

...Neither the conviction nor resignation keep Velella from collecting a state pension that could be worth up to $80,000 a year.

Guy Velella has been in the Senate for 18 years and was in the state Assembly for 10 years before that. He is also the longtime chairman of the state Senate Republican Campaign Committee and is Bronx county GOP chairman. His seat would remain vacant until the November election.
(snip)

to let him attend the Republican National Convention. He could sit up on the stage alongside twice-convicted murderer Don King, the prison-bound Governor of Connecticut John Rowland, the prison-bound former Governor of Illinois George Ryan, and other leading lights of the Republican establishment. Halliburton could even cater the whole event.

inquiring minds want to know.

As an aside, AZ's republican governors have a long tradition of not completing terms due to criminal charges

revealed this week as having made a mint with sweetheart real estate connections.

:shrug: Well, that's how it SHOULD be! :shrug:


:kick::kick: