Tag: Rivers Cuomo

ALBANY — The conviction of Joseph Percoco, Gov. It might also influence the upcoming statewide election and Cuomo’s potential attempts to position himself as a 2020 presidential contender, they said. “Obviously, this is a black eye to the executive branch and to Cuomo personally,” said Michael Dawidziak, a Suffolk County political consultant who works mainly with Republicans. “And on the other hand, it’s just another one in a very, very long line of Albany convictions over the years that just continue to pile up people’s cynicism and lack of confidence in Albany as a whole.” Steve Coffey, attorney for Steven Aiello, who was found guilty of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, and Milton Williams, who represents Joseph Gerardi, who was acquitted on all charges, comment outside Manhattan federal court on Tuesday, March 13, 2018. Joseph Percoco, one of Aiello's and Gerardi's co-defendants and a former top aide to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, was convicted in the case. Though New York has seen the fall of Assembly and Senate leaders, rank-and-file legislators and state-agency commissioners, experts on state political history said they couldn’t recall a top adviser to the governor — with the access and influence of Percoco — convicted on public corruption charges in the past 80 years or more. Some acknowledged that any corruption conviction erodes public trust. “When there’s a verdict that says there is a violation of the public trust, it’s always a tough day in Albany,” Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) said. And Ed Cox, state GOP chairman, renewed his call for the Manhattan district attorney and the state ethics panel to investigate a side issue that emerged during the trial: Percoco’s use of state offices, state phones and his state ID while he was running Cuomo’s 2014 campaign and off the public payroll.