Former NY State Sen. Hiram "Slasher" Monserrate Indicted For Corruption

Former NY State Sen. Hiram "Slasher" Monserrate Indicted For Corruption

Former New York state Sen. Hiram Monserrate, who was expelled from the Senate after being convicted of slashing his girlfriend's face with a broken glass, has been indicted on felony charges of campaign finance fraud.

Monserrate, 43, was charged with funneling taxpayer money to a non-profit group, Latino Initiative for Better Resources and Empowerment, or LIBRE, that provided support services for his unsuccessful campaign for the state Senate in 2006 and his re-election campaign to the New York City Council. He pleaded not guilty to his arraignment for mail fraud and conspiracy and was released on $500,000 bond. The Democrat was a member of the city council from 2002 through 2008. Prosecutors say he requested $300,000 in discretionary funds allocated by the council annually to non-profits for LIBRE, and then directed the group to use a third of it for his efforts to gain his party's nomination for the state Senate.

Monserrate was one of the notorious "Democratic Eight" who voted against marriage equality. Days after the vote, Monserrate objected without irony to the order of protection that kept him away from his slashed girlfriend, saying, "The state should not keep apart two people who want to be together."

http://joemygod.blogspot.com/2010/10/former-ny-state-sen-hiram-slasher.html