Stanley Simon, a former Democratic Bronx borough president, died at 93 after a corruption scandal implicated him in taking bribes and led to a five-year prison sentence.
In 1987, when corruption across the city began to dominate headlines, Mr. Simon was indicted with other officials who had taken bribes to help the Wedtech Corporation, a South Bronx contractor, secure government contracts and approvals.
In 1988, a jury convicted Mr. Simon of racketeering and extortion for taking a $50,000 bribe from Wedtech for arranging a city lease on a waterfront property; extorting $14,000 from the pay of an aide; demanding a job at Wedtech for his brother-in-law; lying to a grand jury; and evading income taxes on the illicit money.
Four former Wedtech executives, who had accepted plea bargains, were the prosecution's star witnesses. They admitted to paying bribes to a score of government officials and political figures, notably Stanley M. Friedman, the leader of the Bronx Democratic Party.
Collection
[
|
...
]