After being convicted of four counts of theft earlier this year, former NY State Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada will plead guilty to all the other charges today. Which means you won't have to pay for his lawyer!
The former Bronx Democrat lawmaker and his son, Pedro G. Espada, will be at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn at 12:30 p.m. for the plea. The pair were convicted of stealing $400,000 in taxpayer money—via Espada's Soundview Health Clinic in the Bronx— to fund their lavish lifestyle ($60,000 on sushi! his home renovations! his chewing gum!)—but were not convicted of other charges. So federal prosecutors were going to try him again.
The NY Times reports:
The guilty plea, scheduled to take place before Judge Frederic Block in Federal District Court in Brooklyn, is expected to resolve all remaining charges against both men, including the tax evasion charges the Espadas face in federal court in Manhattan, according to a person with knowledge of the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the agreement was not yet final...
Based on his conviction last spring, Mr. Espada already faces up to 10 years in prison. While it is unclear precisely how a guilty plea to the additional charges would affect his overall sentence, the federal sentencing guidelines provide for some reduction if a defendant pleads guilty rather than forces the government to go to trial.
The plea is surprising because the elder Mr. Espada was the epitome of defiance throughout the case — his chest out, hardly ever breaking a sweat.
Espada infamously helped block MTA funding as questions were raised whether he actually lived in the district he was elected to represent. Then he infamously staged a coup by defecting from the Democrats and joining the Republicans in the Senate to put himself in power.
