Last February disgraced former Queens Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio was sentenced to six years in prison. At the time of his sentencing he told reporters "I'm 74 years old, how much time have I left?" The answer, it seems, was about eleven months. The Queens Courier reports that Seminerio died earlier today at a correctional facility in North Carolina of undisclosed causes.
Seminerio resigned in 2009 after being indicted for accepting bribes in the form of "consulting" fees. He later pled guilty to one charge of fraud after investigators found 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.
Despite the end of his career, some still found things in Seminerio to remember fondly. Assembly member Michael Miller (who replaced him) told the Courier that "for over 30 years Anthony Seminerio represented the 38th Assembly District with passion and dedication. We should remember all of the good things that he has done for the community. My heartfelt sympathy goes out to his wife and his children."
