His conviction has turned off some Bronx voters.
Pedro Espada Jr. paused in front of the door to the New York State Legislature’s chambers in Albany. He turned back towards the chanting protesters, took a handful of dollar bills out of his right pocket, crumpled them in his hand and angrily threw them at the crowd. He then disappeared inside.
It was early August 2010 and the incident was caught on camera by one of the protesters. The senate majority leader and state senator for New York’s 33rd District was embroiled in a corruption scandal, accused of misappropriating $14 million from the Soundview Health Center in the Bronx. A month later he would lose his primary bid for re-election and on December 14 would be indicted on charges of using taxpayer money from the Soundview clinic to fund a luxurious personal lifestyle involving expensive cars and lavish dinners. He was stripped of his political powers and titles on the same day.