Spano: “I did not pay all the income taxes that I should have”
Former Sen. Nick Spano briefly addressed the media following his guilty plea today in federal court in White Plains, apologizing for not reporting $53,000 in income over a period of eight years while his attorney vigorously defended any insinuation of other wrongdoing.
Spano, a Republican who represented southern Westchester County in the state Senate for two decades before being defeated in 2006, is scheduled to be sentenced June 11.
LoHud has video of Spano and his attorney, Richard Levitt, speaking to the media. The remarks begin at the 7:45 mark of the video below.
Meanwhile, Spano’s Albany-based lobbying firm, Empire Strategic Planning, just issued a statement from the former senator, in which he apologizes for not reporting some of his income and pledges to work with the court to make good.
“Today is obviously not a good day for me or my family, but I want to be honest and open about it. I did not pay all the income taxes that I should have. For this I am sorry and I take full responsibility,” Spano said in the statement.
“I’ve been very lucky to have the chance to help a lot of people during my life, whether it was the people of my Senate district, the developmentally disabled who counted on me to be their advocate, or the clients I have served since leaving the Senate. I apologize to anyone I have let down, and I look forward to making this right in the eyes of the court.”
Levitt, in his own written statement, railed against any insinuation in court papers that the investigation into Spano looked into more than tax evasion, including the possibility of a quid pro quo.
He said in a statement:
“An information is a charging document that is not returned by a grand jury but rather is written by the United States Attorney’s Office, and the government has complete control over its content. Mr. Spano’s guilty plea, however, concerned only the charge that he underreported his income. The firm policy of the United States Attorney’s Office is to require that any plea agreement include a plea to the greatest offense the government believes it can sustain. After several frank discussions between the government and Mr. Spano’s counsel it was agreed that the appropriate disposition was a plea to a tax-related offense.
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Nice deal. No perp walk. Secreted in through the back door, bang-bang, serious charges dropped, and out the front door with, so far, a wrist slap and some mumbo-jumbo about the “developmentally disabled.” Any wonder the public rates used car dealers above politicians?
its not about the punishment. it’s about the fall. Leibell and Spano were two strongest bulldogs in the hudson valley and bot are now headed to prison.
@Spano – The fall occurred in 2006 when he lost reelection to the Senate. This is about the truth and how Westchester politicians do business. Throw the book at him. That will prevent future politicians from acting in the same manner.
I wish I could agreewith you but I can’t. These guys just keep stealing and stealing and lying and lying and deceiving and deceiving and keep running for re-election. And winning. I am sick of hearing “about all the good Leibell did”. WHAT GOOD”? The money he doled out was taxpayer money, 100% of it. He always, ALWAYS, looked for a quid pro quo when he handed out taxpayer money. TWELVE MILLION DOLLARS OF TAXPAYER MONEY WENT INTO HIS NOT FOR PROFIT. Meanwhile, people in Putnam are losing their homes. Leibell was a gutter rat. “Don’t piss on Santa’s boots!” sums up Leibell’s character.
I saw the lohud video, nick seems not to have a care in the world he must have got a big break
Of course he got a break, after he told the FBI what they wanted to know about other people. That Mangone is really cleaning up the political mess in Westchester & Putnam. In fact he’s doing a better job of it then the DA! Maybe mangone should run for DA! Notice that Mangone pleaded guilty two years ago yet has not been sentenced. He must be doing a whale of a job telling the FBI about all the dirty dealing.
You have to wonder if Nick Spano cooperated. How could a person plead guilty without being indicted. And get a sweet heart deal.
most of you really don’t have a clue as to how the federal criminal justice system works
please go back and take a class in civics..you make allegations and assumptions that
have nothing to do with reality…you think you know who is singing and who is not
why plea deals are made and whether or not targets cooperate…you simply are
uniformed and your comments mislead the rest of the public as well which is why
these blogs serve very limited purposes and create more confusion than they clear up
And “Just the Facts” offers nada and just adds to the confusion.
he sure did, as he always DOES! Must be an attorney.
http://www.FriendsofDarioGristina.org