Democratic New York state senator Malcolm Smith was arrested by the FBI Tuesday for his role in an alleged plot to rig the 2013 mayoral election by buying him a spot on the Republican ballot, the New York Daily News reports.
Agents were also rounding up four suspects, including Bronx Republican chairman Jay Savino and Queens GOP vice chairman Vincent Tabone who were to receive bribes in exchange for backing Smith when he switched sides last year in a never-realized run for City Hall.
Republican city councilman Dan Halloran was also arrested Tuesday for being a liaison in the bribes to elect Smith, who was picked up early Tuesday at his Queens home:
All six defendants were scheduled to be presented in White Plains Federal Court and Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara was scheduled to hold a press conference later in the day in Manhattan. ...
At meetings in hotels in White Plains in Manhattan and Queens restaurants, Halloran promised to win support for Smith from Savino and Tabone. Smith actively participated in multiple conversations and spoke openly about bribing county leaders. ...
The charges mark a tremendous fall from grace for Smith, who for a time was president pro tem of the state Senate when Democrats briefly held the chamber’s leadership in Albany.