New York - A top Cuomo Aide and a Syracuse Developer are being found guilty of corruption and fraud.
Joseph Perccoco has been found guilty of three felonies; two counts of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud and one count of soliciting bribes. Jurors found that Percoco took $35,000 in bribes to help Fayetteville based COR Development skirt using union labor at their Inner Harbor Hotel. In all Percoco was found guilty of taking over $300,000 in bribes in exchange for his influence on State Government projects. Gov. Cuomo said of Percoco at his father's funeral that Percoco was like a third son to Mario Cuomo.
Percoco was on trial with Stephen Aiello and Joseph Girardi. The COR Development Executives were acquitted of most of the charges they faced, but Aiello was convicted of one felony count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud. Girardi, along with a Hudson Valley business man, were acquitted of any wrong doing.
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Aiello faces up to 5-years in Federal Prison at sentencing while Percoco is facing more than 30-years behind bars. Aiello and Percoco will be sentenced separately in June.
The jury had been deadlocked until a judge allowed the jurors to consider partial verdicts for the four co-defendants. There was also concern on the part of Prosecutors as their embattled star witness, ex-lobbyist Todd Howe, was arrested during his testimony. The conviction on the count of soliciting bribes indicates that jurors believed Howe was truthful when he outlined his kickback scheme with Percoco. In all, jurors heard from more than 25 witnesses in the complex corruption trial.