Frederick Mei, central figure in former Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano's corruption trial, released from federal prison, officials say

Frederick Mei, the former deputy Oyster Bay Town attorney who wore a wire and testified against former Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano for accepting bribes in exchange for town-backed indirect loan guarantees, has been released from prison, officials said Wednesday.

Mei, 65, of Bayville, who publicly introduced the phrase "the Oyster Bay way" in a nod to the town's pay-to-play culture that sent him and Mangano to federal prison, was granted a "compassionate release," according to a Tuesday court order. The Department of Justice guidelines for a compassionate release include an inmate be at least 65 years old and suffer from a chronic or serious medical condition or be diagnosed with "a terminal, incurable disease" among other criteria. He was serving a 2-year sentence in a federal prison.

"The court finds, given all the circumstances here, that defendant's medical condition warrants compassionate release," said U.S. District Judge Joan Azrack, who noted the federal Bureau of Prisons declined to place Mei in a hospital facility.

Mei's attorney, Gary Schoer, confirmed his client's release from a federal prison in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, based on "a medical condition" but declined to provide any details other than to say "he's doing OK."

"We're happy," said Schoer, referring to him and his client's reaction to Mei's release. "We're thankful that she granted the motion."

The judge ordered Mei serve the first 6 months of his year of supervised release on home confinement "except for necessary medical appointments."

The prosecution did not object to Mei's release, according to the order. A spokesman for the Eastern District of New York declined to comment Wednesday.

According to a report by the U.S. Sentencing Commission, motions for compassionate release are not always approved.

Only 39.1% of compassionate release requests were granted in the Second Circuit, which includes the Eastern District of New York, in fiscal year 2023 — from October 2022 to September 2023 — the report said.

Mei pleaded guilty in 2015 to one count of honest services fraud and resigned from his $117,288-a-year job with the town.

Mei, while working as a deputy town attorney, received $70,000 in cash and gifts from restaurateur and town concessionaire Harendra Singh between 2010 and 2012, according to prosecutors, to ensure the Town of Oyster Bay guaranteed Singh’s loans. Singh also paid Mei’s $36,000 lease for his BMW and for several vacations, including to South Korea, according to trial testimony.

Mei testified at the first of two corruption trials for Edward Mangano, his wife Linda Mangano and former Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto.

The first trial ended with Venditto's acquittal and a hung jury on the charges against the Manganos, who were convicted at retrial.

Mei, who wore a wire during the FBI investigation into Nassau County and Oyster Bay corruption, was sentenced in July 2023 to 2 years in prison and 1 year of probation after he admitted accepting bribes from Singh, in order to help the politically connected Singh obtain town-backed loan guarantees.

"I just wanted to use this opportunity to apologize to the citizens of Oyster Bay for my conduct during that time," Mei said at his 2023 sentencing.

Mangano was sentenced earlier that year to 12 years in prison after a jury convicted him in 2019 of conspiracy to commit federal program bribery, federal program bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, honest services wire fraud and conspiracy to obstruct justice.

The jury found Mangano used his official position as county executive to influence Town of Oyster Bay officials into indirectly backing $20 million in loans for Singh to make improvements to the town concession businesses he was contracted to run.

In exchange, Singh, who was also a longtime friend of Mangano, plied him with bribes including a $454,000 "no-show" job for his wife, free meals and vacations, two luxury chairs, flooring for the Manganos' bedroom and a $7,300 watch for one of their sons, the jury found.

Edward Mangano, 62, is currently imprisoned in Ayer, Massachusetts, and is set to be released on Christmas Eve in 2031, according to the federal inmate tracker.

Linda Mangano served about 5 months of a 15-month sentence in a federal prison in Connecticut for her conviction on charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice, obstruction of justice and two counts of lying to the FBI.

Singh was sentenced to 4 years in prison. He has been ordered to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons to begin serving his sentence by Nov. 22.