Federal Judge Angry in Corruption Case Involving Political Cronies

Angry judge delays Annabi, Jereis corruption trial until 2012
The Journal News by Jonathan Bandler  -  May 17, 2011

An angry federal judge lashed out at prosecutors Tuesday as she was forced to delay next month's start of a Yonkers corruption trial until next year.  The trial of former Yonkers Councilwoman Sandy Annabi and her cousin, former city Republican chairman Zehy Jereis, on bribery, conspiracy and other charges was to have started June 20. But a new grand jury indictment against the pair obtained yesterday by the U.S. Attorney's Office forced the change because Annabi's lawyer, William Aronwald, had an overseas trip planned for the coming weeks and would not have enough time to review the new charges.  U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon blamed the assistant U.S. attorneys, Jason Halperin and Perry Carbone, for the late charges, particularly because they mostly mirror the original ones and could have been brought months ago, she argued.  "This looks like a sandbag. I don't blame Mr. Aronwald for feeling sandbagged," McMahon told Halperin, adding later, "I have a great deal of respect for you. But this stinks. It smells."  Annabi, Jereis and politically connected lawyer Anthony Mangone were first charged in January 2010 following a four-year federal probe into the City Council's approval of the $660 million Ridge Hill project — for which Annabi changed her vote after initially opposing the development.   Mangone pleaded guilty in November, admitting that he gave Jereis thousands of dollars to pass along to Annabi so that she would change her vote on another development, the so-called Longfellow School project, which was never built.  Halperin said the new indictment does not change the prosecution's theory of the case. But Aronwald said the "allegations are substantially changed" because they extend by two years the period of time when the alleged conspiracy between Annabi and Jereis was ongoing.  The prosecution contends that Jereis effectively had Annabi on retainer, plying her with more than $160,000 over the years, in the hope that when needed she would do his bidding — and that she did so on the Ridge Hill and Longfellow votes. But the defense has complained that the retainer reference was a late addition by prosecutors once the defense had impressed upon them that the relationship between Annabi and Jereis was always a social one and never political; a distinction that could be significant in considering whether the money given Annabi could be construed as a bribe.   McMahon said the trial would have to be postponed at least until early next year because she has several trials scheduled through December.  Halperin said it was never the prosecutors' intention to disrespect the court or "sandbag" the defense. Jereis' lawyer, Anthony Siano, would not comment, other than to say "Mr. Jereis intends to vigorously defend this case."