Metro

Ex-Councilman offered tens of thousands to undercover agent for campaign funds

Former City Councilman Dan Halloran offered to dole out tens of thousands of dollars in no-show city consulting work to an undercover agent in exchange for funds to boost a congressional run — and then demanded to be paid even after losing the race, the federal agent told jurors Monday.

Jurors at the White Plains federal corruption trial of Halloran, state Sen. Malcolm Smith and Queens GOP operative Vincent Tabone also heard audiotape of Halloran telling the agent that he’ll take his money in cash.

“Look, at this point, we don’t need all of it in checks. We can take green now,” he says in a Nov. 15, 2012, meeting at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in White Plains also attended by crooked developer-turned-FBI-informant Moses Stern.

“Cause now I can . . . I can pay vendors off,” he says. “Before, I had to show money coming in to help my campaign. Now, I don’t have to.”

Later that same day, Halloran (R-Queens) sent the agent — whose real name wasn’t provided to jurors — an e-mail containing a commitment letter pre-dated four days and promising $40,000 to $80,000 for consulting work on a Queens YMCA.

“I was being very clear that I was going to take his money,” the agent testified. “I expected we would do zero work related to that.”

The agent also said he previously gave Stern $6,500 in cash to create checks in others people’s names for Halloran’s campaign.

Halloran is also accused of pocketing $20,500 in cash bribes for masterminding cross-party negotiations for a failed bid to get Smith — one of the state’s top Democrats — the Republican line in last year’s mayoral race.

Smith, prosecutors say, turned to Stern and the undercover agent for money and help pulling off the scheme. The senator, in turn, promised them $500,000 in funds for a project in Spring Valley.

The agent told jurors he and Stern first met with Smith separately on that November 2012 day at the Ritz-Carlton — and that Smith was given $12,000 for writing a letter to Spring Valley officials aimed at putting the crooked community-center project in motion.

The agent also said they discussed plans to help Smith (D-Queens) run for mayor or obtain a Senate leadership post.

“People like you are gold mines,” the agent can be heard telling Smith on the tape.

The senator later asked for their help swaying Brooklyn Republican Chairman Craig Eaton to support him for mayor instead of former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión.

“If you can switch him, if you can switch him, that would be huge,” Smith told Stern on tape. “I, I, I mean I, I’m telling you that if you can switch him, that would be a game changer. Completely.”

Eaton never flipped.