A former Queens Assemblyman who resigned after being indicted for accepting bribes in the form of "consulting" fees was sentenced to six years in prison. Anthony Seminerio, 74, pleaded guilty to one charge of fraud after investigators alleged that he had taken up to $2 million in bribes, established a shell company to handle the "consulting" money, and was caught on tape accepting $25,000 from an FBI agent posing as a real estate developer.
According to the Times, Seminerio represented southwestern Queens for more than three decades before being indicted. "When you were elected, you were given a great privilege," said judge Naomi Reice Buchwald. "You abused the trust placed in you." The Democrat's attorneys originally asked that their client—who suffers from artery disease and hypertension—be sentenced to home confinement, but at sentencing they just asked for leniency. On the way out of court, Seminerio wouldn't speak with the press, but he stated: "I've been through enough, please ... Just be kind."
