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Friday, November 24, 2017
Vol. 66, No. 47
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Prosecutors say evidence against Mangano is strong 103-page report cites executive, Venditto soliciting, receiving bribes BY JA N E LL E CL AUSEN Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano and former Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto were involved in a “conspiracy to solicit and receive bribes and kickbacksâ€? from an unnamed co-conspirator, federal prosecutors argued in court documents ďŹ led last week. In the papers, prosecutors argued that the conspiracy lasted from January 2010, when Mangano ďŹ rst took oďŹƒce, through February 2015. A businessman asked Mangano to help secure millions of dollars worth of loans for his restaurants, prosecutors wrote, from the Town of Oyster Bay. Mangano went on to pressure Venditto to back four loans to the alleged co-conspirator, prosecutors said, and secure contracts for him. “This case concerns the corrupt abuse of power by Mangano and Venditto – two elected oďŹƒcials in Nassau County, where the TOB is
located – and the willingness of CoConspirator #1, a local businessman and restaurateur, to pay bribes in order to obtain oďŹƒcial action from these oďŹƒcials for Co-Conspirator #1’s beneďŹ ts,â€? prosecutors wrote in the court papers. Newsday, citing sources close to the investigation, identiďŹ ed the restaurateur and alleged co-conspirator as Harendra Singh. Anthony La Pinta, Singh’s attorney, was not available for comment on the case. Prosecutors also said that Venditto and his family received limousine services, discounts for the businesses’ events, free private oďŹƒce space and meals. The co-conspirator, meanwhile, provided the Mangano family free vacations, ooring and other items of material value, prosecutors said. Mangano’s wife, Linda, prosecutors said, received “shamâ€? employment in one of the alleged co-conspirator’s restaurants, for which Continued on Page 67
PHOTO BY REBECCA KLAR
Getting schooled A Hampton Street student demonstrates the Footsteps2Brilliance app for members of the Mineola Board of Education. See story on page 2.
4th-graders take over, W.P. board biz goes on B Y R E B E C C A K L A R graders from Center Street it was business as usual. There’s a new mayor in town – at least for the day. On Saturday, the Village of Williston Park Board of Trustees lent their seats to fourth-
School, Jackson Avenue School and St. Aidan’s School in honor of the annual “village oďŹƒcials for a dayâ€? meeting. But it wasn’t just fun and games for the new politicians;
Mayor Catherine Mongello, from Center Street School, began the meeting by announcing that the board was honoring two women, Kristine Afonso, Continued on Page 68
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