Let Mangano sentencing act as a deterrent

Federal District Court Judge Joan Azrack's tough sentencing of former Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano and his wife, Linda Mangano, should shake those officials who see gifts and cash rewards as reasonable perks. Deterrence is much of the point of such punishments.

Edward Mangano was sentenced Thursday to 12 years in prison for taking bribes, committing wire fraud, and obstructing justice. Linda Mangano was sentenced to 15 months in prison after being convicted of obstructing justice and lying to the FBI.

This is all rooted in the Manganos' relationship with restaurateur Harendra Singh, who ran several concessions under contract with the Town of Oyster Bay, including the Woodlands. Mangano used his influence to convince town officials to indirectly guarantee $20 million in loans for the Woodlands. The town's outside counsel derided the deal as “a complete sham.” John Venditto, town supervisor at the time and charged along with Mangano, was acquitted.

Linda Mangano received $454,000 for a no-show job with Singh. The couple received free meals and vacations, flooring and luxury furnishings, and a specific brand of luxury $7,300 watch their son desired. They claimed the loot was simply gifts from a friend.

The Manganos asked for leniency, arguing their lives have already been ruined. Many local politicos submitted pleas for leniency, arguing the Manganos had done much good in their lives. 

But the Manganos' crimes are significant, and their inability to see they’ve done anything wrong points to a systemic problem. For some elected officials, the line between public service and self-enrichment is not bright enough. This sentencing should illuminate it.

Many of our elected officials are honest. Others, however, abuse their power and fail to reject the temptations of a system flush with money and miscreants who offer criminal temptations. The state’s recently resigned lieutenant governor, Brian Benjamin, appears not to have been deterred by prior examples of Albany leaders imprisoned. He now faces federal corruption charges for allegedly funneling into a campaign account state money intended to improve the lives of residents of his Manhattan district. 

Similarly undeterred were former Senate majority leaders Dean Skelos, John Sampson and Malcolm Smith, and former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, convicted on similar charges. And let’s not forget the rank-and-file state legislators and Long Island town officials among the list of convicts — like Mangano’s chief deputy, Rob Walker, who pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in relation to a $5,000 bribe he took, and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

It's an acid bath of corrosion that undermines public confidence, and public participation, in government.

It would be naive to think this will be our last case of political corruption. But it would be more naive to believe that any remedy other than severe sentences can make our elected officials think twice before they pilfer once.