Metro

Cuomo proposes 3 new laws against corruption by elected officials

Gov. Cuomo today proposed giving district attorneys across New York more power to bring cases against corrupt politicians and their cronies.

Cuomo proposed three new laws that would match federal statutes which helped Southern District US Attorney Preet Bharara nail three state lawmakers, a city councilman and several county political chairman in alleged bribery schemes this month.

“Today we start at the beginning, and we start with stricter and more effective criminal deterrence,” Cuomo said at a news conference announcing “The Public Trust Act” at his Manhattan office, where he was flanked by the DAs of Manhattan, The Bronx and Staten Island.

“I want to strike while the iron is hot — you know, a crisis is a terrible thing to waste,” Cuomo said.

The new proposed laws, which he called on state legislators to pass in the session scheduled to end in June, include:

– Bribing a public official, which allows for prosecution of either the bribe giver or bribe taker even when a prosecutor can’t prove a “corrupt understanding between two parties.”

– Corrupting the government, which allows for prosecution of anyone found to have defrauded the government – whether or not they’re a public official or acted in concert with one.

– Failure to report a bribe or bribe attempt, which would make it a misdemeanor for a public servant to fail to report bribery.

The package would also include:

– Increased penalties for fraud, theft or money laundering in connection with stealing from the government.

– Making official misconduct a felony, rather than a misdemeanor.

– Barring anyone convicted of public corruption from holding any elected or civil office and from doing lobbying, contracting, receiving state funding or business with the state.

– Extending a five-year statute of limitations that applies to public officials to others who collaborate with public servants to defraud the government.

“For the first time, we are placing an affirmative duty on public servants to report attempts of bribery and corruption,” Cuomo said.

Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance Jr. said the package would give prosecutors the ability “to pursue defrauding the government and bribery more aggressively.

“These are very sound proposals and they have the support of district attorneys across the state,” he said.

Vance said a key provision would allow for prosecution of corrupt witnesses, who are now virtually totally shielded if they testify before state grand juries.

The change would limit witnesses to so-called “use immunity” – rather than the sweeping “transactional immunity” they now get – allowing state-level prosecution based on evidence other than the witnesses’ grand jury statements.

Cuomo called the proposals “step 1” and said he’ll also pursue campaign finance reforms, tougher enforcement by boards of elections and additional ethics reforms.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) and Senate Republican Leader Dean Skelos of Long Island were non-committal.

“I look forward to working closely with the governor, the Assembly, the State’s District Attorneys and others to root out corruption wherever it exists,” Skelos said.

“We are working closely with the governor and reviewing the proposals,” said Silver spokesman Michael Whyland.