Former State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno was indicted by a federal grand jury today on eight counts that include mail and wire fraud.
Bruno was the subject of a long-running FBI investigation into a variety of his dealings while in office, including those with Connecticut-based Wright Investors’ Service and union officials. He was suspected of taking money from groups who had interests before the state legislature.
The 35-page indictment alleges that Bruno used his office to defraud the State of New York and its citizens of the intangible right to honest services. It points to nearly $3.2 million that Bruno allegedly received over a period from 1993 to 2006 from various sources.
Bruno represented the 43rd Senate District for 32 years. He made a late-breaking announcement last summer that he would not run for another term, and was replaced by Republican Roy McDonald.“