The mayor and deputy mayor of Spring Valley were arrested Tuesday morning and charged with allegedly trying to aid a state senator”™s bid to gain the Republican nomination for mayor of New York City.
Mayor Noramie Jasmin and Deputy Mayor Joseph Desmaret were arrested by the FBI”™s Public Corruption Squad and charged with bribery. Two politicians from Queens, state Sen. Malcom Smith and New York City Councilman Dan Halloran were also arrested. U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said the goal of the whole scheme was to get Smith into Gracie Mansion, with Halloran finding people willing to take bribes.
“The complaint describes an unappetizing smorgasbord of graft and greed stretching from Queens and the Bronx to Rockland County,” Bharara said in a statement.
According to the complaint, Jasmin influenced the Spring Valley Board of Trustees to sell village land to a holding company that she was involved in while Smith used his role as senator to obtain state money for a road fund that would benefit the project.
Desmaret allegedly took bribes in exchange for diverting state funds to the project.
In January 2012, Desmaret allegedly demanded $20,000 to vote for the project with Jasmin demanding a 50 percent stake in the development, all while being monitored and dealing with undercover FBI agents.
At an October 2012 board meeting, Jasmin and Desmaret voted in favor of awarding the development to the holding company.
Jones and Desmaret were expected to be arraigned Tuesday in federal court in White Plains.
