The following press advisory just arrived from US Attorney Michael Garcia's office:
A press conference will be held today to announce the unsealing of a criminal complaint charging New York State Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio with honest services fraud relating to his alleged receipt of hundreds of thousands of dollars in corrupt payments from various entities with business before the State of New York.
This is totally out of the blue (at least for me). Seminerio, a Queens Democrat, is a former Corrections officer who was elected to the Assembly in 1978.
NOTE: A reader points out that trouble for Seminerio, who has run in the past on both the Democrat and Conservative lines, won't be helpful to GOP Sen. Serphin Maltese, whose district overlaps with Seminerio's and who is a top target of the Democrats as they try to take over the Senate this fall.
Seminerio and Maltese have been close for many years, one Queens source called Seminerio "Serf's single most reliable Democratic supporter going back to when he was first elected."
AND, Seminerio is the second lawmaker close to Maltese who has been indicted in recent months (the first being his former aide and now-ex councilman, Dennis Gallagher, who pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct charges and gave up his seat as a result).
UPDATE: The TU's Jim Odato reports the case against Seminerio involves the same charges being eyed in the investigation of former Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno's outside business interests.
Seminerio has a consulting company that he runs from his Ozone Park home, Odato reports, and it has apparently benefitted from his elected office.
