Disgraced ex-state Sen. Pedro Espada Jr. just won’t quit.
Just days before his sentencing on a slew of federal corruption charges, the Bronx Democrat said yesterday he wants a new trial — claiming he has uncovered new evidence that will clear him of wrongdoing.
Espada stood before a federal judge last year and admitted he had committed tax fraud, pleading guilty in a deal with Brooklyn federal prosecutors.
The former Senate majority leader also was convicted by a jury for embezzling a half-million dollars from the nonprofit health-care charity he operated in Bronx neighborhoods.
He’s facing up to 43 years in federal prison when he’s sentenced on June 14.
But Espada told The Post he plans to keep fighting with the help of his own “celebrity” polygraph expert.
Espada said lie-detector tests taken by the famed Daniel Ribacoff prove his innocence.
“The areas that he covered are directly related to the issues in trial — issues of theft, issues of tax evasion,” Espada said.
These polygraph findings are supported by other information uncovered by private investigators and attorneys who examined the case for him following his conviction – with some of the focus on the trial “process,” he said, declining to detail the new evidence.
Espada said he plans to submit a motion in Brooklyn federal court asking for a new trial.
His first step will be a press conference Monday in front of the Brooklyn courthouse.
We “will basically introduce new evidence to reverse the conviction,” Espada said. “We will present witnesses and testimony.”
But legal experts say his strategy may backfire because under his plea deal, he forfeited his right to appeal his convictions.
Espada also made a promise – standard in federal plea agreements – to accept responsibility for his crimes and admit wrongdoing.
In exchange, he could receive a dramatically reduced sentence.
If he violates his plea agreement, however, Espada could face the full sentence for the crimes he was convicted of – in this case up to 43 years in prison, legal experts say.
Espada insisted that he was not concerned with this prospect, emphasizing that he considers his new trial bid to be an unrelated issue.
“This is a separate process – separate from sentencing,” Espada said. “The sentencing is not a factor in what were doing.”
Espada’s announcement came just two days after he informed a judge that wanted to fire his defense attorney, hire a new lawyer, and postpone his June 14 sentencing. Judge Frederic Block rejected the request.
Last year, Espada was convicted of misusing his government-subsidized Soundview Healthcare Network to pay his personal expenses – such as luxury Caribbean family vacations, renovations to his Westchester home and countless meals at chic restaurants.