Gallagher staffer quits as lawyers move to drop case

More than three months after rape allegations rocked City Councilmember Dennis Gallagher, his chief of staff has quit.
Margaret Keta, 34, a mother of two, in an interview with The Courier Sun, said, “I left to spend more time with my young kids [a boy and girl, ages six and two].”
Keta, who has a degree in communications, spent two years working for the 43-year-old Republican Councilmember and reportedly earned $36,103.
Prior to that, she worked under then-Governor George Pataki and the New York State Council on the Arts.
When asked whether her resignation was prompted by Gallagher’s legal troubles, Keta said, “Absolutely not.”
She went on to say that the politician is “doing great” following his August 10-count indictment on charges that he raped a 52-year-old grandmother in his Middle Village office on July 8.
“He’s out in the community working on issues and doing his best to serve as he’s always done. The staff and the councilmember have conducted themselves with the utmost professionalism in helping the community and constituents.”
According to Kevin Ryan, spokesperson for District Attorney Richard A. Brown, Gallagher’s defense is still in the pre-trial stages.
“Last week, [his lawyers] filed a motion for the case to be thrown out,” said Ryan.
Gallagher’s attorney, Benjamin Brafman, told The Courier Sun that the motion was filed on a number of grounds. Those grounds included, “insufficient evidence to support the charges; prosecutors’ misconduct before the grand jury which impaired the integrity of the proceedings; and the failure of prosecutors to present exculpatory information [according to law.com, ‘ . . . evidence which may justify or excuse an accused defendant’s actions and which will tend to show the defendant is not guilty or has no criminal intent’].”
Brafman went on to say that the DA has a few weeks to respond to the motion, and that Gallagher is “continuing to work as a councilmember and is very responsibly performing his duties.”
Gallagher’s next court date is set for November 20.
The politician was first elected to the City Council in 2001, and will be required to leave office in 2009 under the city’s term limits law.
If he is convicted of the charges, however, he may have to leave his position earlier.