Trump: "Old Crow's a piece of sh*t", compares Mitch to Meade Esposito, Brooklyn Dem Boss+convicted felon who got away with many crimes then got caught

basquebromance

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Nov 26, 2015
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Meade Esposito was a convicted felon who got away with countless more offenses than what he was ultimately convicted for. It's no wonder Trump admires him.

 
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from wikipedia:

Esposito was tried for allegedly violating a state law barring NY county political leaders from engaging in business dealings with race tracks. Citing the rules of the Kings County Democratic Committee, NY Supreme Court Justice Alvin Klein ruled that Esposito had not violated the law since he was formally identified as chairman of the Committee's executive subcommittee. Esposito had previously characterized himself as county leader in a 1976 interview with The New York Times.

Esposito elicited a variety of perceptions from his peers. While Robert F. Wagner Jr. called him a "new breed of party leader", Herman Badillo, a critic of Esposito, called him "an old-line boss". During his tenure as county leader, his connections to known Mafia members and associates had become common knowledge. He grew up alongside many of these figures, who continued to retain him during his years as a bail bondsman. In 1972, during a federal investigation into the Lucchese crime family, Esposito's name was frequently mentioned in a bugged junkyard trailer used as an office by Paul Vario.

Politicians traded favors and gifts with Esposito for political influence and positions, a process that greatly accelerated after he became NYC's preeminent political boss in 1978. By 1983, investigations into his increasingly conspicuous activities were growing. Despite claiming he would never retire, Esposito left his position as leader of the Kings County Democratic Committee in January 1984, unexpectedly leaving the position to incumbent Brooklyn Borough President Howard Golden amid internal conflict with former protege "Fat Tony" Genovesi.

Nevertheless, Esposito continued to retain significant surreptitious influence in New York City politics after his retirement. In the fall of 1985, during an FBI investigation into the Genovese crime family, Esposito was heard speaking with lifelong friend Federico "Fritzy" Giovanelli, a caporegime in the organization. This led to a direct wiretap of Esposito's phone.

Later in 1985, Esposito was recorded speaking with Mario Biaggi, claiming to have "made" 42 judges in Brooklyn. Biaggi was charged in 1987 with taking an unlawful gratuity, having accepted a free $3,200 vacation in Florida from Esposito. Prosecutors said it was in exchange for using his influence to help a ship-repair company that was a major client of Esposito's insurance agency. The defense said it was given out of friendship, and no favors were done in return. While Biaggi was acquitted of both bribery and conspiracy, he was convicted of accepting an illegal gratuity and obstruction of justice, sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison, and fined $500,000. Esposito received a suspended sentence Esposito was put on probation, sentenced to community service and fined $500,000.

In 1989, Esposito faced additional charges of bribery and tax fraud; however a federal judge determined Esposito was too sick and elderly to maintain a proper defense.

 

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