Lawmaker charged with pocketing Superstorm Sandy funds
ALBANY - A New York state lawmaker was accused of pocketing tens of thousands of dollars meant for Superstorm Sandy victims in an 11-count felony indictment unveiled Tuesday.
Assemblywoman Pamela Harris, D-Brooklyn, pleaded not guilty Tuesday afternoon in Brooklyn federal court, where she was arraigned on fraud, conspiracy, witness tampering, false statement and obstruction of justice charges.
Harris is accused by federal prosecutors of four fraudulent schemes, including two separate plans to pocket Superstorm Sandy funding by falsely claiming the 2012 storm forced her from her Brooklyn home and into a Staten Island residence, according to the indictment.
The 57-year-old lawmaker, who was first elected in 2015, is accused of fraudulently pocketing $25,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and failing to disclose it during her recent bankruptcy proceedings.
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She is also accused of keeping $23,000 in New York City funds that were meant for Coney Island Generation Gap, a non-profit she once led, and directing two people to lie to FBI investigators when they were interviewed in her case.
Harris spent the money on household expenses, her mortgage, at stores like Victoria's Secret and on airfare and cruise tickets, according to prosecutors.
"As alleged in the indictment, the defendant defrauded government agencies out of tens of thousands of dollars in public funds and tried to fraudulently obtain even more,” Richard Donoghue, the interim U.S. attorney for New York's eastern district, said in a statement.
“She conducted her schemes victimizing the federal and New York City governments, and then obstructed a federal investigation into her crimes while a sitting New York state assemblywoman."
Harris' attorneys lauded her as an "invaluable community organizer and a well-regarded legislator" and contend the allegations don't relate to her conduct in office.
"She has pleaded not guilty, and we look forward to her day in court and an opportunity there to present the full facts," Joel Cohen and Jerry Goldfeder, Harris' attorneys, said in a statement.
Harris is at least the 45th state lawmaker to face ethical or legal charges since 2000, according to a database maintained by the USA TODAY Network.
She faces two counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, four counts of making false statements, two counts of bankruptcy fraud, one count of witness tampering and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice.
All are felonies.
Jon Campbell is a correspondent for the USA TODAY Network's Albany Bureau.