Harding pleads guilty in Hevesi scandal

From the NY Post:

Disgraced former Liberal Party boss Ray Harding pleaded guilty this morning to accepting more than $800,000 in kickbacks for political favors to former state Comptroller Alan Hevesi.

Harding's plea to one felony count under the state's general business law and one misdemeanor reportedly came after the onetime political powerbroker agreed to cooperate in Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's sweeping investigation into abuse under Hevesi's watch of the state's massive public pension fund.

Harding had in April been charged with three felony counts under the state's far-reaching Martin Act securities law. He was quietly whisked into a Manhattan courtroom to make his plea before New York Supreme Court Justice Lewis Bart Stone.

The judge said the deal allows him to later withdraw the felony charge if Harding cooperates fully, according to Bloomberg News.

Cuomo investigating all the Hevesis

Next up for investigation: Dan the man and his payment plan. From the Queens Tribune.

Liberal Party boss in pay-to-play

From the NY Post:

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo today revealed the inner workings of an $800,000 pay-to-play kickback scheme at the state comptroller's office involving former Liberal Party boss Ray Harding and the selling of a state Assembly seat for Alan Hevesi's son.

The felony complaint alleges that Harding obtained the large amount in illegal fees on state pension fund investments as a reward for opening up a state Assembly seat for then- Comptroller Alan Hevesi's son and for over 30 years of political endorsements.

And from the Daily News:

Queens Democrat Michael Cohen has no plans to end his City Council bid despite being named today in AG Andrew Cuomo's felony complaint against former Liberal Party boss Ray Harding.

Michael Tobman, Cohen's political consultant, said his client is "still a candidate."

Tobman could not go very far in responding to Cuomo's allegation that Harding worked with unnamed aides to then-Gov. George Pataki to land Cohen a six-figure job with the Health Insurance Plan of New York in exchange for his agreement to give up his Assembly seat so Andy Hevesi could run for it.