Corruption Trial Of New York Republican Stalwart Joseph Bruno Begins

November 2, 2009 1:26 p.m. EST

Albany, NY (AHN) - The corruption trial of former state Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno began on Monday. The 80-year-old, whose political career spanned more than three decades, has pleaded not guilty to eight counts of wire and mail fraud.

The trial began with jury selection, presided by U.S. District Court Judge Gary Sharpe. According to local reports, Bruno spoke to members of the media at the outset of the hearing, repeating his insistence that he is innocent.

The former Republican leader was indicted in January on charges of receiving $3.2 million from individuals and companies from 1993 through 2006, in return for help in gaining state contracts. He received the money directly and in the form of fees through his private consulting business, according to prosecutors, and did not report these payments as gifts, as mandated by ethics and finance laws.

Bruno, who faces up to 20 years and a $250,000 fine on each of the charges, had created a legal defense fund in response, and told supporters, "Let's get this case out from the cloak of secrecy, out from the prosecutor operating behind closed doors, and in front of a jury who will look this case in the eye and then determine that this is a three-year fishing expedition that smells really, really bad." In May, he unsuccessfully sought to have the case against him dismissed.

The GOP stalwart retired in July last year after 32 years of dominating state politics. He has been the center of several controversies, including accusations by his long-time political opponent, former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, that he had improperly used police escorts and state aircraft. The controversy, dubbed as the Troopergate scandal, ended with the state Attorney General clearing Bruno of any wrongdoing and admonishing Spitzer for using state police to gather information about officials.