The first Asian-American elected to New York’s state legislature is scheduled to plead guilty this afternoon to charges stemming from a federal bribery case, sources told The Post.
Former state Assemblyman Jimmy Meng, 68, had promised to pay off New York state prosecutors who were pursuing a fraud case against a Meng associate who owned a construction business, The Post has learned.
Meng — who represented Flushing from 2005 to 2006 — solicited $80,000 in bribes from businessman Eric Hu, while promising he could guarantee that state authorities would offer Hu a lenient plea deal, officials said.
Brooklyn federal prosecutors say that Meng directed Hu to place $80,000 in cash into a fruit basket that Meng would send someone to collect.
As the feds intensified their probe into the former state assemblyman, Hu become an FBI informant, wore a “wire” and surreptitiously recorded numerous conversations with Meng that involved discussions about the bribery scheme, officials said.
In late July, Hu drove to Meng’s lumber yard in Queens carrying a fruit basket that contained several thousand dollars, prosecutors said. Meng took it and was arrested by the FBI.
The feds suspect that Meng was lying about his influence with state prosecutors handling Hu’s case, and believe he simply intended to pocket the cash for himself all along — without delivering on his promises.
Hu’s own troubles with the law stemmed in part from a fraudulent application he made in 2007 for a CitiBank credit card using the false name of “Jiping Shan,” officials said.
During the Spring of 2009, Hu used that CitiBank credit card to make a wide range of purchases – including supplies for his construction firm, officials said.
Eventually, Hu ran up a balance of approximately $16,500 on the card, and then failed to pay the bank, officials said.
Over the Summer, Hu pleaded guilty to federal bank fraud charges and is awaiting sentencing, officials said.
Meng’s arrest in July marked the broadening of a probe by a team of Brooklyn federal prosecutors and FBI agents that is focusing on public corruption in southeast Queens.
Last week, Meng’s daughter, Grace Meng, was elected to become the first Asian-American congresswoman in New York state history.
She is not involved in the case against her father.