New York - Jury selection is underway in the first of a half dozen corruption trials involving state politicos.
Longtime Andrew Cuomo Aide and ally Joeseph Percoco and three other men are accused of bribery, bid-rigging, and corruption. Federal prosecutors say that Percoco accepted bribes in exchange for deals on lucrative State contracts.
Steven Aiello and Joseph Gerardi are executives at Fayetteville's COR Development. Prosecutors say that, through their ex-lobbyist Todd Howe, they paid $35,000 in bribes to Percoco's wife in exchange for his influence to skirt past Labor Union rules for a development project in Syracuse's Inner Harbor.
The trial will also highlight the backroom dealings of the Buffalo Billion where prosecutors will allege that Percoco took more than $300,000 in bribes.