Alan G. Hevesi, former New York State Comptroller, dies at 83

Alan G. Hevesi, a former New York State comptroller who was forced to resign his office due to a corruption scandal, passed away yesterday at the age of 83.

Hevesi was a political science professor at Queens College before coming to politics. A Democrat, he served in the New York State Assembly from 1971 through 1993, when he was elected New York City Comptroller. In 2001, he ran unsuccessfully in the city’s Democratic mayoral primary, but in the following year he returned with a successful bid to become state comptroller.

During his re-election campaign in 2006, a state ethics commission determined that Hevesi improperly assigned a public employee to handle his personal chores. He publicly apologized for his actions and was re-elected with 56% of the vote. But one month after his re-election, he pleaded guilty to defrauding the government by having state employees serve as chauffeurs and personal assistants to his disabled wife. As part of his plea bargain, he was fined $5,000, resigned from office on Dec. 22, 2006, and agreed to be barred from holding elected office.

In October 2010, Hevesi pleaded guilty to accepting $1 million in gratuities and campaign contributions in exchange for steering New York State pension investment funds to California venture capitalist Elliot Broidy. He was sentenced to one to four years in prison and was released on parole after serving 20 months.