Jesse Ward/Jesse A. Ward for News
Brooklyn Assemblyman William Boyland Jr. allegedly sent more than $ 7,000 of holiday turkeys to his political clubhouse in 2008 and his staffers paid for the birds through Wayside Outreach Development, a nonprofit he cotrolled, the president of a Brooklyn wholesaler testified Monday in Brooklyn Federal court.
Assemblyman William Boyland Jr., delivered the pork to his district — but in his case, it reached constiuents in the form of hundreds of turkeys.
The president of a Brooklyn wholesale food distributor testified Monday that he delivered more than $ 7,000 worth of holiday turkeys to Boyland’s political club in 2008 and a nonprofit controlled by the Brooklyn Democrat picked up the tab.
RELATED: HAMILL: THERE ARE TOO MANY CLOWNS IN POLITICS
Boyland is charged with steering hundreds of thousands of dollars to the nonprofit, Wayside Outreach Development, for the purpose of advancing his political standing in Brownsville.
The political scion was apparently well-schooled in the theory that the best way to reach voters’ hearts is to go through their stomachs.
RELATED: CORRUPT BROOKLYN POL WILLIAM BOYLAND ASKED FOR $ 250K BRIBE
The fowl delivery was made to the Thomas Boyland Democratic Club, on Pitkin Ave. — named after the defendant’s uncle, who once held the same assembly seat in the impoverished 55th District.
“Did you ever deliver any products, turkeys or otherwise, to Wayside?” Assistant Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Christina Dugger asked.
RELATED: MISTRESS OF WILLIAM BOYLAND JR. SAID POL FANCIED HIMSELF AS MAFIA DON
“No,” replied Michael Loconte, the president of Jersey Lynne Farms of Brooklyn.
The recipients of the turkeys were Boyland’s “primes,” his nickname for clubhouse members and senior citizens who had voted for his uncle and his father and could be counted on to vote for him, too.
RELATED: ASSEMBLYMAN’S FATHER PLAYED ROLE IN CORRUPTION CASE
Last week, Boyland’s former chief of staff and his ex-lover, Ry-Ann Hermon, testified that she was trained to keep her boss’ name — or any reference to the assemblyman — off the invoices because it is illegal for nonprofit funds to be used for political purposes.
Loconte said he never met Boyland and dealt exclusively with Hermon, who he thought worked for the nonprofit.
RELATED: STEAK AND EGG ON HIS FACE
“I just incorporated (Hermon and Wayside) like they were one and the same,” Loconte testified in Brooklyn Federal Court.
Hermon testified last week that there were long lines for the turkeys, and sometimes fights even broke out.
RELATED: WILLIAM BOYLAND GOES ON TRIAL FOR BRIBE-TAKING CHARGES
Wayside also picked up the $ 1,600 tab for the frankfurters and burgers Boyland provided to community picnics in the summertime.
Hermon also testified that Wayside spent more than $ 50,000 in state funds to pay for picnics, boat rides and other activities geared to maintain the elderly constituents’ support.
Harvey Stone, the nonprofit’s director, has not been charged with a crime, but prosecutors have referred to him as a co-conspirator of Boyland.
When Boyland’s member items funds began drying up around 2011, Wayside was left high and dry. Boyland tried cooking up several plans to get financial sponsors for events like the Brownsville Walk of Fame.
But there were no takers for the grand plan to engrave the names of neighborhood bigshots like Mike Tyson or rapper Big Daddy Kane in the sidewalk, or to sponsor a fireworks show or a youth baseball league, according to Hermon, who was a government witness.
Yahoo Local News – New York Daily News
http://ift.tt/1pmrcFX
via Great Local News: New York http://ift.tt/1iZiLP1
No comments:
Post a Comment