New York legislators go to great lengths to make sure state law protects their pensions even if they are convicted of crimes. So we’re delighted to see US Attorney Preet Bharara targeting the pensions of convicted pols under federal forfeiture law.
This week Bharara announced he was going after three former New York City councilmen — Miguel Martinez, Larry Seabrook and Hiram Monserrate — and one former Yonkers councilman, Sandy Annabi. As part of their sentences, they were ordered to forfeit between $80,000 and $1.3 million. Not one has forked over so much as a dime.
“We aim to prevent corrupt elected officials from continuing to benefit from pensions paid for by the very people they betrayed in office,” says Bharara. “We are committed to using every legal tool to take the profit out of crime.”
Bharara’s right: What’s more outrageous than crooked officials squeezing taxpayers to fund their comfy retirements?
Unfortunately, pensions of pols elected before 2011 can’t be touched, even if they are convicted of a crime, thanks to state law and the state Constitution. And while a reform made those elected thereafter subject to forfeiture, it’s riddled with loopholes.
It would, of course, be better if the lawmakers would close these loopholes themselves, as Bharara himself has asked. But so long as they don’t, we say:
Go get ’em, Preet.