By Alex Robinson
Former City Councilman Daniel Halloran allegedly agreed to a $75,000 payment for his part in a bribery scheme to get state Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-Jamaica) on the Republican mayoral ticket, the undercover FBI agent involved in the case testified Wednesday at Halloran’s corruption trial.
The trial resumed Wednesday in federal court in White Plains after a two-week hiatus in which attorneys argued over when prosecutors submitted around 65 hours of taped conversations in English and Yiddish from a cooperating witness’ phone, court documents show.
Federal Judge Kenneth Karas subsequently declared mistrials in the cases of Halloran’s co-defendants, Smith and former Queens GOP Vice Chairman Vincent Tabone.
Halloran, however, opted to continue with the case, arguing he could not afford to have his case retried. His defense lawyers were given an extra week to go through the additional tapes.
Karas told jurors, who were not aware of the mistrial, they should not let the absence of Halloran’s co-defendants affect their verdict.
“As you can see, defendants Smith and Tabone are not here,” he said. “You are not to concern yourself with why.”
Prosecutors have alleged Smith schemed to bribe his way onto the Republican mayoral ticket in 2013 by steering payments to a number of GOP county chairmen.
The undercover agent, known as Raj, who was posing as a real estate developer, said he had agreed to pay Halloran $75,000 to broker the deal. Raj said the agreement was that he would pay the northeast Queens Republican half before the deal and the rest of the sum once he had secured the support of enough Republican chairmen to get Smith on the ticket.
Halloran accepted $15,000 in cash at a meeting Feb. 15, the undercover agent said in his testimony.
“Gonna nail down Eaton,” Halloran said in a text message to the undercover agent after the meeting, according to transcripts, which were displayed as evidence Wednesday. Halloran was referring to Craig Eaton, the Brooklyn GOP chairman.
“I hope u will then bring account with me up to where it is supposed to be,” Halloran texted.
The undercover agent was also cross-examined by Halloran’s defense attorney, Vinoo Varghese Wednesday.
Varghese has maintained Halloran perceived the payments and checks he received as legal campaign contributions and personal loans.
When the defense’s cross examination of the undercover agent is complete, the former Bronx Republican Party chairman, Joseph Savino, is expected to take the stand.
Savino pleaded guilty in November to accepting a $15,000 bribe in the alleged scheme.
Reach reporter Alex Robinson by e-mail at arobinson@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.
