The disgraced former boss of the Bronx Republican Party copped a plea to federal corruption charges on Tuesday, saying he accepted a $15,000 bribe to let a Democratic state senator run for mayor as a Republican — and in the process throwing an indicted Queens councilman under the bus.
Joseph “Jay” Savino told White Plains federal Judge Kenneth Karas that Councilman Dan Halloran instigated the entire scheme to get state Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-Queens) on the GOP ballot for mayor.
The fallen Bronx power broker said the deal was concocted after he reached out to Halloran in January 2013 for help ensuring that the City Council didn’t replace one of Savino’s hand-picked commissioners on the city’s Board of Elections. Halloran, he said, insisted that he meet up with him for lunch.
“He basically told me the only way I would keep my commissioner is to come to this lunch,” Savino said.
Savino said he met with Halloran and others – including an undercover agent he referred to as “Raj” — at Spark’s Steak House in Midtown on February 1. There, Savino said, it was proposed that he’d be hired for legal services on development projects in Rockland County and the Bronx in exchange for him helping get Smith on the GOP mayoral ballot.
Savino said he agreed to accept a $30,000 retainer — including $15,000 up front.
“I was being hired as an attorney in return for giving a pass” to get Smith on the ballot, Savino told the judge.
Savino also said he met with Halloran two weeks later on Valentine’s Day and that Halloran began to boast by claiming, “I hit it out of the park at the meeting.”
Because he is a Democrat, Smith needed GOP support in at least three boroughs to run as a Republican without changing his party affiliation.
Smith had Halloran allegedly set up meetings with Savino and Queens Republican Vice Chairman Vincent Tabone to arrange bribes for their support, while Halloran pocketed thousands for himself, prosecutors said.
Savino, who remains free on $250,000 bond, will serve as a cooperating witness against the other defendants in the case, according to his plea agreement. Smith, Halloran, Tabone, Spring Valley Mayor Noramie Jasmin and Spring Valley Deputy Mayor Joseph Desmaret have all pleaded not guilty to bribery and other charges.
The feds say in court papers that Savino could apply to enter the witness protection program as the entrenched ex-politico’s cooperation “is likely to reveal activities of individuals who might use violence, force, and intimidation against” him and his family.
He pleaded guilty to three public corruption counts Tuesday, admitting to participating in the wacky plot between November 2012 and April 2013. According to court papers, he accepted the $15,000 from an undercover FBI agent. As part of the plea deal, he must forfeit that money.
He faces up to 30 years in prison and nine years of supervised release when he’s sentenced on Feb 25 – although he’s likely to get a significantly reduced sentence. His lawyer Robert LaRusso said he’d seek probation for Savino.
Under the plea deal, he must also file “accurate” amended tax returns for 2005 to 2012 with the IRS and pay back taxes and penalties. If he doesn’t, he could face criminal tax prosecution.
“I just wanted to say that I’ve accepted responsibility for what I’ve done,” Savino said outside court. “I want to apologize to anybody that believed in me and I hope that my family and I will be able to move on from here.”
The Post first broke the story that Smith and Halloran were facing arrest in the wacky scheme.
Savino and Tabone quit as county leaders earlier this year after news of the probe broke. Halloran opted not to seek re-election. Smith, however, remains in office.
Smith and Halloran face up to 45 years in prison if convicted of the charges.
Halloran did not return messages seeking comment.