Posted on 02/23/2007 8:33:31 PM PST by neverdem
Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes won his biggest victory to date today against the former chairman of the borough's Democratic party. After nearly three days of deliberations, a Brooklyn jury found Clarence Norman Jr. guilty of extorting a judicial candidate.
Norman's most recent trial — his fourth — was the first to address, even indirectly, allegations that judgeships have been bought and sold in Brooklyn. Mr. Hynes has staked his legacy on the outcome of his investigation into the sale of judgeships. The investigation, now in its fifth year, continues, Mr. Hynes' deputy, Michael Vecchione, said following the verdict.
Prosecutors tried Norman, 55, on charges that he strong-armed two judicial candidates into paying his favored political consultants to campaign for them in central Brooklyn, an area in which neither candidate planned on campaigning heavily. Norman, formerly a 12-term assemblyman from Brooklyn, had threatened to withdraw his political machine's support unless the candidates placed their campaign largely under his direction, prosecutors said.
Few judicial candidates consider themselves politicians, and the three-week-long trial opened a window on how deeply candidates believed they needed Norman's support to win election.
One of the two candidates, Karen Yellen, testified she feared she would be "out of a job" if she failed to follow Norman's directions. "I would no longer be a judge," she said.
Ms. Yellen, an incumbent judge at the time, said Norman told her "we will dump you" unless she followed his instructions.
Prosecutors sought to portray Norman as "a thug" with the power to kill any judicial candidacy simply by refusing to give his support. In finding Norman guilty of grand larceny in the third degree by extortion, the jury appeared to endorse the prosecution's view of Norman.
Norman's criminal act, the jury found, was to demand that Ms. Yellen direct her...
(Excerpt) Read more at nysun.com ...
law and order next month???
1st Beaver spotted in NYC in 200 years
There are so many rats in the Naked City. FReepmail me if you want on or off my New York ping list.
Most definitely.
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