City Councilman Larry Seabrook got kickbacks from family members for taxpayer-funded jobs – NYPOST.com.

Pol shook down own kin: feds

Last Updated:3:44 AM, November 22, 2011

Posted:12:50 AM, November 22, 2011

How’s this for family values?

City Councilman Larry Seabrook shook down his own relatives for thousands of dollars after hiring them to work for non-profits he showered with taxpayer money, the feds charge.

In court papers tied to the Bronx Democrat’s ongoing corruption trial, prosecutors say his mistress “is prepared to testify that she paid Seabrook cash kickbacks” that he “demanded” for getting her consulting jobs between 2002 and 2004.

That testimony — coupled with evidence of more than $75,000 in unreported cash that Seabrook deposited in the bank — “clearly supports the inference that Seabrook received kickbacks from the money he steered to his nonprofits as salary for his mistress and family members,” prosecutors Brent Wible and Steve Lee wrote.

The feds say Seabrook’s girlfriend, Gloria Jones-Grant, will testify that she gave him “thousands of dollars” in cash from the $9,600 a shady Bronx pharmacy paid her after Seabrook arranged for her to do “lobbying or consulting work” in early 2003.

Jones-Grant also will say that she gave Seabrook “some” of the $7,000 she got from an unidentified Yonkers politician from whom Seabrook “procured” a job for her in the summer of 2004, according to the court filing.

Jones-Grant has been granted immunity to force her to testify against Seabrook, whose trial is expected to wrap up next week.

The Manhattan federal court filing says bank records will confirm Jones-Grant’s expected testimony and show that she kept paying Seabrook kickbacks after she was named executive director of two nonprofits he allegedly controlled.

Court papers also say Seabrook made several cash deposits within days of his relatives getting paid with funds from the same nonprofits.

In one case, his brother, Oliver Seabrook, allegedly deposited more than $25,000 from the North East Bronx Redevelopment Corp. on Aug. 23, 2006, withdrawing $11,000 in cash between Aug. 25 and Aug. 30.

“Several days later, on Sept. 6, 2006, Larry Seabrook deposited $1,400 in cash into his account, all in $100 bills,” prosecutors wrote.

In another case, the feds say NEBRC issued Seabrook’s sister, Priscilla Jenkins, a $10,000 check on Jan. 30, 2007, for preparing a “brief report” on efforts to increase racial diversity in the FDNY.

“One week later, on Feb. 12, 2007, she purchased two money orders totaling $2,000,” court papers say.

“Three days after that, on Feb. 15, 2007, Seabrook deposited these very money orders into his bank account.”

Seabrook never reported any of the cash to the IRS.

Seabrook’s lawyers didn’t respond to an e-mail seeking comment last night.

bruce.golding@nypost.com


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