NEW YORK, Jan 4 (Reuters) - Embattled New York Assemblyman
William Boyland Jr and his chief-of-staff pleaded not guilty
Wednesday in Brooklyn federal court to charges that they
conspired to take more than $250,000 in bribes from a carnival
promoter and two undercover federal agents.
Boyland, 41, a Democrat who represents Brooklyn in the New
York State Assembly, was arrested November 29, less than a
month after he was acquitted of unrelated corruption charges in
Manhattan federal court. His chief-of-staff, Ryan Hermon, 33,
was arrested several days later and charged in connection with
the same alleged bribery schemes.
The charges they are facing include attempted extortion,
bribery, honest services fraud and conspiracy, according to a
Dec. 23 grand jury indictment.
Appearing before Magistrate Judge Joan Azarck on Wednesday,
both Boyland and Hermon entered pleas of not guilty.
An attorney for Boyland, Richard Rosenberg, asked that his
client's travel restrictions be modified to allow him to pass
through New Jersey as he travels back to the New York
legislature in Albany next week. Azrack granted the request.
Following the brief hearing, Boyland said he was prepared
to return to work next week when the Assembly is back in
session. When asked whether he thought the pending charges
would interfere with his political office, Boyland replied,
"Not at all."
"We've got quite a bit of integrity in our community, so
the support is there," Boyland said.
According to the complaint, Boyland met with a carnival
promoter and undercover FBI agent beginning in August 2010 to
discuss ways to help the promoter's carnival business.
Prosecutors said that Boyland took thousands of dollars in
payments from the undercover agent, which he deposited in his
campaign account.
In exchange, Boyland allegedly said that he and his staff
engaged in discussions with governmental agencies to help the
carnival promoter secure leases and permits for his business,
and had provided a letter of support on his official Assembly
letterhead, according to the complaint.
FIVE-TERM ASSEMBLYMAN
After he was indicted in a separate case in New York's
Southern District last March, Boyland and Hermon contacted the
undercover FBI agent to ask for a direct personal payment of
$7,000 to help "solidify some attorneys," according to a
recorded conversation quoted in the complaint. Boyland said he
would help the agent with zoning requests and to secure grant
monies to help finance proposed development projects in New
York.
Weeks later, on April 29, prosecutors said Boyland called
two undercover FBI agents seeking a $250,000 bribe. According
to the complaint, Boyland proposed a scheme in which the agents
would buy a former hospital in Boyland's district for $8
million, obtain state grants to renovate the hospital and then
flip it to a nonprofit organization purportedly under Boyland's
control for $15 million.
Prosecutors charge that Hermon worked closely with Boyland
in seeking bribes.
Boyland is a five-term Assemblyman whose father and uncle
both held seats in New York's legislature. He was arrested in
Manhattan March 10 on charges of conspiring to commit mail
fraud and to accept bribes from David Rosen, the former CEO of
MediSys, a nonprofit hospital network. Rosen was convicted
earlier this year for paying off three New York lawmakers,
including Boyland, in exchange for political favors.
But Manhattan prosecutors were unable to convince jurors of
a connection between the $177,000 Boyland received from a
consulting gig with MediSys and official actions he took that
prosecutors said funneled millions of dollars to a
MediSys-affiliated hospital. Boyland was acquitted of all
charges on November 10.
If convicted on the new charges, Boyland faces up to 30
years in prison, according to prosecutors. Hermon is facing a
possible maximum sentence of 20 years.
Boyland and Hermon are due back in court Feb. 3 before U.S.
District Judge Sandra Townes.
The case is U.S. v. Boyland, in the U.S. District Court for
the Eastern District of New York, no. 11-850.
For the U.S.: Assistant U.S. attorney Lan Nguyen
For Boyland: Richard Rosenberg
For Hermon: Douglas Byrne of Brocato & Byrne and John
Freeman
(Reporting by Jessica Dye)
Follow us on Twitter: @ReutersLegal