A former Yonkers councilwoman and her “infatuated” political mentor — who were sent to the slammer for accepting nearly $200,000 in bribes — are demanding a retrial, saying a key government witness whose testimony helped convict them lacks serious credibility because he’s since been busted by the feds in a separate bribery scheme.
Former Democratic Yonkers City Councilwoman Sandy Annabi – who’s among the convicted pols that US Attorney Preet Bharara wants to strip of their government pensions – filed legal papers in Manhattan federal court on Wednesday saying her case should be retried because the feds now believe businessman Franco Milio paid a $5,000 bribe to a Westchester municipal official to help push one of his local development projects through.
Milio played a big role in getting Annabi and former Yonkers Republican Chairman Zehy Jereis sent to prison by testifying he made arrangements through Jereis in 2006 to pay Annabi $30,000 to get her key council vote for a Yonkers senior-housing development project.
“The Court should order a new trial … based on newly discovered evidence that one of the government’s key cooperating witnesses, Franco Milio, continued to commit crimes while actively cooperating with the government in its prosecution of Ms. Annabi,” Annabi’s lawyer Edward Sapone wrote Wednesday.
Annabi and Jereis, both distant cousins, were found guilty in 2012 of collecting $194,000 in bribes in exchange for the Democratic pol’s vote on two major city developments projects, which also included Bruce Ratner’s Ridge Hill mall.
Ratner and his company were not charged with any wrongdoing.
Annabi claims she didn’t collect bribes through Jereis, as prosecutors contend, but rather used her distant cousin and political mentor as a “sugar daddy” by accepting cash and other gifts from him. Jereis has contended he was “infatuated” with Annabi’s body for over a decade.
Their requests for new trials were in response to letters they received from the government last month, noting that agents had learned a Westchester county municipal worker sought and received the $5,000 bribe from Milio.
Annabi, who was also convicted for filing false tax returns and other charges, is serving a six-year sentence. Jereis was sentenced to four years.
Milio could not immediately be reached for comment.