Federal authorities announce corruption charges against two NY assemblymen

NEW YORK – For the second time in a week, a New York state politician was arrested in a bribery scandal, leading a prosecutor to say Thursday that political corruption in the state "is indeed rampant" and people should be angry about it.

Assemblyman Eric Stevenson, a Democrat, was arrested in a bribery investigation in which another state assemblyman, Nelson Castro, cooperated against him.

Stevenson and four businessmen were charged in part with conspiring to pass a bill in the state legislature to protect a new Bronx adult center from competitors for three years to give the center a monopoly against other facilities that might want to offer meals, social activities and supervision for the elderly and disabled.

Castro, another Bronx Democrat, notified Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver that he was resigning Thursday.

Silver called for the resignation of Stevenson as well, saying the charges he faced would be a "clear violation of the public trust and cannot be tolerated." Court papers filed in federal court in Manhattan also revealed that an unidentified cooperating witness in the case had once been an Assembly candidate.

The arrests came two days after federal authorities arrested state Sen. Malcolm Smith in an alleged plot to bribe his way into the New York City mayor's race. Smith, released on bail, said he'll be vindicated. Several other politicians also were charged in that case.

source - http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/04/04/federal-authorities-announce-corruption-charges-against-two-ny-assemblymen/