New York, Politicians Behaving Badly | featured news

New York State Sen. Malcolm Smith and five other politicians pleaded not guilty Tuesday to corruption charges in connection with an alleged plot to buy a line on New York City's mayoral ballot. The allegations revived public concerns about a documented culture of exploitation in Albany that has prompted officials to seek legal recourse to induce change.

Feds busted a Bronx assemblyman today for allegedly pocketing envelopes of cash to push legislation in Albany — marking the second corruption case against a state lawmaker this week. Assemblyman Eric Stevenson [D-Bronx] got caught in a sting operation in which two co-defendants paid bribes to another, unidentified assemblyman who was cooperating with authorities, according to the Manhattan US Attorney's Office.

Six New York politicians were arrested on Tuesday for their alleged role in a bribery scandal that saw a prominent Democrat pay top Republicans for permission to run on their ticket in the city's upcoming mayoral race, prosecutors said.