His appellate options likely exhausted, disgraced political consultant John Haggerty finally turned himself in yesterday to begin serving a sentence of at least 1 1/3 years in prison.
Haggerty had been convicted in October 2011 of stealing $750,000 in campaign cash from Mayor Bloomberg — a theft first exposed three years ago in a series of stories in The Post.
The thieving consultant gave a sporting smile to his lawyer and to Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Ronald Zwiebel as he was handcuffed and led out to a holding pen for processing.
“I don’t think anybody goes in happily, but he’s been in for a brief period before,” said his lawyer, Paul Shechtman.
Haggerty served three weeks of his sentence immediately after his conviction. The state Appellate Division then allowed him to remain free on bail until last month, when it rejected his appeal.
Haggerty is making a long-shot appellate application before the state’s highest court, Albany’s Court of Appeals.
Barring a reprieve from that court, he would be eligible for work release in about a year, his lawyer said.