Originally Posted - July 10, 2006

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BROOKLYN---Brooklyn Democratic Assemblywoman Diane Gordon has been indicted on charges that she sought a $500,000 single-family home as a bribe from a Brooklyn contractor. In exchange for the home and the free installation of doors in her Assembly offices, Gordon told the contractor she would use her influence to have a $2 million city-owned vacant lot turned over to him for development.

"This type of influence peddling by Assemblywoman Gordon is the worst possible betrayal to the voters who elected her and who expected her to represent them fairly", said Brooklyn district attorney Charles Hynes. "Nobody is above the law; in fact, public officials should be held to a higher standard".

According to the 12-count indictment, on Oct. 21, 2004, Gordon told the contractor that the city's Office of Housing, Preservation and Development planned to release to a private developer a government-owned vacant lot, in East New York on Livonia Avenue between Jerome and Barbey Streets. Gordon offered to use her political influence to help him.

Gordon, the indictment charges, then developed an elaborate plan for the contractor to give her mother small cash payments until she had enough money in a special bank account to make a down payment on the home Gordon wanted built, so it would appear as though her mother had bought it. Because Gordon's mother, Helen Staggers, had a different last name, Gordon allegedly told the contractor, she believed she would be shielded from legal scrutiny if her mother purchased the home. At a later date, Gordon planned to have ownership of the property, off Linden Boulevard in Queens, transferred to her name, prosecutors say.

From October 2004 until November 2005, during a series of recorded conversations with the contractor, Gordon can be seen and heard crafting the plan for the sale, saying she wanted it to appear as though she had paid close to market value, when in fact, she had no intention of paying anything, according to prosecutors. Gordon and the contractor agreed that he would sell her the property and that he would hold the mortgage, which would have a sub-prime interest rate. Once the contractor received the city-owned property, he would cancel the mortgage, and Gordon's mother would own the property outright, then transfer title to Diane Gordon.

On another occasion the contractor installed a new set of doors in Gordon's Assembly office, and when he asked her for payment, she told him to consider the work a gift to her.

On the video recordings made by investigators from the Brooklyn DA's Office and the New York City Department of Investigation, Gordon explained to the contractor how he could win favor with other elected and government officials who would ultimately decide whether he would get the property. She also wrote a letter recommending the contractor for the project, in addition to obtaining recommendations from other local elected officials.

Gordon is charged with conspiracy in the fourth degree, second and third degree bribe receiving, two counts of official misconduct, two counts of receiving reward for official misconduct, and two counts of receiving unlawful gratuities. If convicted, she faces up to 15 years in prison. 7-10-06

© 2006 North Country Gazette