Corruption Trial Begins for Assemblyman William Boyland Jr. – NYTimes.com.
The Gotham Gazette reported this morning that the corruption trial for Brownsville Assemblymember William Boyland began yesterday. He is charged with accepting a no-show job worth $175,000 over several years from a hospital executive in exchange for his influence in Albany. Previous to being elected, he had attendance issues with an earlier position he held at a clinic under control of the executive, who was convicted last year for attempting to bribe other politicians. Boyland faces up to 25 years, although it’s unlikely the maximum sentence would be applied.
[William Boyland, Jr.,] an assemblyman from one of Brooklyn’s most prominent political families struck a secret deal to use his influence in Albany on behalf of a hospital chief executive in return for a sham consulting job that paid him about $175,000, a federal prosecutor said Tuesday.

Mr. Boyland faces a maximum of 20 years in prison if convicted on one conspiracy count and 5 years on the other, although under federal advisory sentencing guidelines he is likely to face some shorter sentence. Under the law, he would also lose his legislative seat if convicted.

Mr. Rosenberg told the jurors that the suggestion of a no-show job was “a distraction from what was basically a good-will arrangement, bringing on a Boyland to be the name and the face of an outreach to a community and to build trust.”

But in his opening argument, the prosecutor, Mr. Harrington, said the people of Brooklyn had entrusted Mr. Boyland with the power to pass laws and to use his position on their behalf. Mr. Boyland “took the people’s trust and sold them out,” he said.

Did Assemblyman Boyland violate the public trust as federal prosecutors allege? Leave your comment below.