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Bruno Re-Trial Winds Down

Joe Bruno, outside the Federal Courthouse in Downtown Albany 11.17.09
WAMC Photo by Dave Lucas
Joe Bruno, outside the Federal Courthouse in Downtown Albany 11.17.09

  The Albany Re-trial of Joe Bruno is in its final stage: the jury deliberated two hours Thursday afternoon and are due back in court 9am Friday..
The 85-year old Bruno, once one of New York State's most powerful leaders when he led the GOP-controlled Senate  for 14 years before stepping down in 2008, stands accused of knowingly receiving bribes and kickbacks -

 
Prosecutors say the Rensselaer County Republican did no actual work to earn consulting fees totaling $360,000 while improperly directing state grants to one of businessman Jared Abbruzzese's  companies.
 
During closing arguments, defense attorney E. Stewart Jones stressed that Abbruzzese, who shielded from prosecution for anything except perjury, testified that he never bribed Bruno.
 
 If convicted on two counts of "honest services" fraud, Bruno could spend the next several years in a federal prison.

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.
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