Sentencing day for former Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano in bribery case

CENTRAL ISLIP, Long Island (WABC) — It is sentencing day Thursday for former Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano and his wife.

Mangano was convicted in 2019 of accepting bribes and kickbacks in exchange for backing $20 million in indirect loan guarantees to Oyster Bay.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office previously recommended Mangano receive 17 and a half years in federal prison, a recommendation Mangano’s attorney called “astonishing.”

ALSO READ | Brooklyn subway shooting heightens fears about transit safety

Mangano helped Long Island businessman Harendra Singh obtain guaranteed loans in exchange for lavish gifts, including a $7,000 watch for Mangano’s son, a $3,600 massage chair, and a $450,000-a-year, no-show job for his wife at one of Singh’s restaurants.

“Edward Mangano put the Town of Oyster Bay at grave financial risk,” US Attorney Richard Donoghue said. “As the schemes were uncovered, the Manganos obstructed justice, and Linda repeatedly lied to FBI agents and prosecutors. Residents of Nassau County trusted Edward Managno to carry out his duties faithfully and honestly. He betrayed that trust for personal gain.”

In closing arguments, Linda Mangano’s attorney described Singh as a “treacherous person” and a liar. Defense attorney John Carman told jurors that it would have been strange for Linda not to have taken a job with Singh, “someone she believed to be a close friend.”

“I’m very proud of my service as county executive,” Mangano said outside of court after the verdict. “I would not and could not be bribed by anyone. The jury saw that.”

Carman suggested the FBI “set a trap” for the GOP official’s wife after she agreed to cooperate. He also attacked the government, saying it “failed miserably, miserably to make a case against her.”

The Manganos said they had a two-decade personal friendship with Singh, long before the Republican was elected, and that any gifts or favors between the families had nothing to do with his office.

ALSO READ | Quick thinking 3rd-grade teacher in NJ saves 9-year-old boy from choking on bottle cap

In its closing arguments, prosecutors accused the Manganos of breaking the public’s trust by accepting bribes from Singh and then trying to cover it up by lying to authorities.

“It’s a tough legal system, it’s a brutal legal system, is a long, long emotionally draining, financially draining,” Ed Mangano said after the verdit. “It is really really difficult on our family, Linda especially, my kids, my parents, to sit here week after week to hear these things. Unfortunately, our system is much less a quest for the truth than it is to convict at almost any chance.”

The couple’s first trial ended in a mistrial, when a jury failed to reach a verdict after nine days of deliberations.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report)

———-
* More Long Island news
* Send us a news tip
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
* Follow us on YouTube