A federal judge on Monday shot down a new trial request by a former Yonkers councilwoman and her “infatuated” political mentor who were sent to the slammer for accepting nearly $200,000 in bribes.
Both former Democratic Yonkers City Councilwoman Sandy Annabi and her mentor, former Yonkers Republican Chairman Zehy Jereis, demanded a retrial in December, saying their case should be retried after it was revealed by the feds that a key government witness whose testimony helped convict them in 2012 was busted in a separate bribery scheme.
But Manhattan federal Judge Colleen McMahon sided with prosecutors who argued that businessman Franco Milio’s damning testimony against the defendants was corroborated at trial by additional evidence.
Milio – who the feds believe paid a $5,000 bribe to a Yonkers official to help push one of his local development projects through — played a big role in getting Annabi and Jereis sent to prison by testifying he made arrangements through Jereis in 2006 to pay Annabi $30,000 to get her key council vote for a Yonkers senior-housing development project.
Annabi and Jereis, both distant cousins, were found guilty in 2012 of collecting $194,000 in bribes in exchange for the Democratic pol’s vote on two major city developments projects, which also included Bruce Ratner’s Ridge Hill mall.
Ratner and his company were not charged with any wrongdoing.
Annabi claims she didn’t collect bribes through Jereis, as prosecutors contend, but rather used him as a “sugar daddy” by accepting cash and other gifts from him. Jereis has contended he was “infatuated” with Annabi’s body for over a decade.
Annabi, who was also convicted for filing false tax returns and other charges, is serving a six-year sentence. Jereis was sentenced to four years.
Both are appealing their decisions.