In New Cassel corruption trial, 2nd partial verdict

Jurors in the New Cassel corruption trial of three former government officials returned another partial verdict Thursday, finding former Nassau County Legis. Patrick Williams guilty of two counts of conspiracy in the fourth degree for illegally steering a public project toward a developer.

Neville Mullings, former head of the North Hempstead Community Development Agency, was found guilty of three charges, including official misconduct, and acquitted of two charges.

Roger Corbin, also a former Nassau County legislator, was acquitted of five charges.

The jury returned the partial verdict after sending a note to acting Supreme Court Judge Alan Honorof, saying it was at an impasse on 17 of the charges -- three each against Williams and Corbin, and 11 against Mullings.

Honorof took the partial verdict before sending the jury back to continue deliberating the remaining charges, which they did for a few minutes before the judge excused them until Monday.

As the jury's foreman read the verdict, Corbin's attorney, Kenneth St. Bernard, of Mineola, patted Corbin on the back.

The trial, which began in February, relates to the allegation that the three defendants had plotted to steer a redevelopment project in New Cassel to a developer willing to "pay to play," sell fake exclusive rights to a bank, and steal $150,000 in public funds.

Corbin, Williams, Mullings and former North Hempstead Town building and planning Commissioner David Wasserman were charged with steering the New Cassel redevelopment project to Ranjan Batheja in exchange for $400,000 in bribes and other payments.

Wasserman's charges were dismissed June 13.

In yesterday's partial verdict, the jury found Williams and Mullings guilty of conspiring to steer the project to Batheja. The jury also found Mullings guilty of official misconduct for assisting a developer in preparing a response to a request for proposals that Mullings' agency had issued.

Meanwhile, Corbin was found not guilty of grand larceny in the first and second degree and three counts of conspiracy in the fourth degree, and Mullings was found not guilty of grand larceny in the second degree and a count of official misconduct.

Yesterday's partial verdict is the second the jury has returned; on July 17, jurors convicted Corbin of bribe-receiving and official misconduct, and found Mullings guilty of another count of official misconduct.