NY Lawyer Pleads Guilty to Misdemeanor In Liquor Authority Probe

NY Lawyer Pleads Guilty to Misdemeanor In Liquor Authority Probe
The New York Law Journal by Noeleen G. Walder - December 11, 2009

A probe into alleged corruption at the New York State Liquor Authority resulted yesterday in charges against four individuals, including a White Plains lawyer, according to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. Attorney Bruno Gioffre Jr. and his uncle, Fred Gioffre, a former deputy commissioner of licensing for the Liquor Authority, both pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, acting in concert to violate the Public Officers Law. That law imposes a two-year waiting period before officials who leave the agency can appear before it. Violation of the provision is a Class A misdemeanor. According to prosecutors, the nephew, who had not worked for the SLA, "directed" his uncle, who set up a consulting company after leaving the authority in 2007, to secure information about license applicants from employees at the agency's Manhattan office. As part of their plea agreements, both defendants agreed to refrain from practicing before the authority. George Galgano of Galgano & Associates in White Plains, who represented Bruno Gioffre said that while his client admitted to asking his uncle to make "follow-up calls" to the agency, his guilty plea does not reflect an admission that he knew he was violating a "technical and obscure" provision of the law. The investigation also snared Annie Guerrero and Maria Elena Nunez, who were indicted on bribery charges for allegedly agreeing to offer a liquor authority official $5,000 to avoid a board review of Ms. Guerrero's license application. The indictments arose from a joint long-term investigation by the D.A. and the state Inspector General of corruption at the SLA. Agency CEO Trina Mead said it had "cooperated fully."