This little piggy caught a big, fat break.
Smiling and looking mighty pleased with himself, ex-City Councilman Larry Seabrook yesterday appeared ready to play a round of croquet, not to be sentenced for nine counts of conspiracy and fraud.
Seabrook betrayed his own people in The Bronx by helping his piggish self and his illicit gal pal to hundreds of thousands of dollars that was supposed to be used to help employ the needy people of his community.
Yet all a federal judge saw fit to stick him with was five years in the slammer, a term Seabrook can easily serve standing on his head in Club Fed. He just has to pay back $619,715.24 — eventually.
And Seabrook, 61, never lost his insufferable swagger.
Throughout the loony sentencing hearing, Seabrook held onto the delusional belief that he was doing good work for the very people from whom he stole.
“I want to talk about myself as a family man,’’ Seabrook said in an insane, rambling speech delivered in front of his long-suffering wife, Maria Diaz, a woman on whom he blatantly cheated with mistress Gloria Jones-Grant.
“I also want to talk about 30 years of service to a community,’’ said Seabrook, who has also served in the Assembly and state Senate.
Seabrook only owned up to making a “mistake.’’ Mismatching brown shoes with black socks is a mistake. Betraying needy constituents is evil.
“I actually love the Northeast Bronx,’’ he said, “Giving them a lift up so they will lift up . . . Giving these young people an opportunity to go to college . . . Incarcerated individuals being given opportunities . . .
“I come as a proud man and I stand up to my beliefs. I will continue to fight for giving service to people.’’ It was too much.
Make him stop!
Seabrook was convicted in three schemes to rob City Council slush funds as well as programs aimed at boosting minority employment and representation in the Fire Department.
But he was acquitted of working an iconic scam, in which he was accused of doctoring a receipt so he might get reimbursed $177 from his political club for a bagel sandwich and Diet Snapple.
Judge Deborah Batts yammered that Seabrook diminished his former office by his “sense of entitlement, arrogance, nepotism and greed’’ — but also said he deserved “some consideration” for his record of public service. Right.
When court was over, suffering Maria darted off with Seabrook in a blue Toyota for parts unknown. He must turn himself in by March 8.
But rest easy, Seabrook fans. The crook’s swagger is still intact.