NYC mayor to take stand in ex-operative's trial

[October 03, 2011]  NEW YORK (AP) -- Mayor Michael Bloomberg is set to take the stand in a grand larceny trial Monday, answering questions from prosecutors who say he was bilked out of more than $1 million and from defense lawyers who claim he is using the case to cover up unsavory campaign practices.

On trial is John Haggerty, a political operative who worked on the mayor's re-election campaigns and is now accused of convincing the mayor and his staff to pay for a $1.1 million poll-monitoring operation that never materialized, then using most of the cash to buy himself a house.

But much of the questioning so far has revolved around Bloomberg, as Haggerty's lawyers have sought to turn the jury's focus to the billionaire mayor, painting a picture of a high-rolling candidate surrounded by privileged insiders who skirted ethics rules, threw money at problems and didn't hesitate to bend the law.

Prosecutors do not accuse the mayor of any wrongdoing, and Bloomberg's representatives have said his campaign broke no laws and followed standard practices.

The cross-examination of the mayor Monday promises to be tense. Defense lawyers used their opening statements to flatly accuse him of "campaign fraud." Bloomberg's spokesman says the tactics are a sign of desperation.

Prosecutors may try to limit what questions Bloomberg must answer. Before the trial, they asked Manhattan state Supreme Court Justice Ronald A. Zweibel to bar their adversaries from inquiring about the mayor's campaign finances. The judge nixed that request but said he might revisit the issue if it arises during the trial.

Haggerty, 42, is a veteran of several prominent New York Republican campaigns. As a volunteer on the 2009 campaign of the Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-unaffiliated mayor, Haggerty was the point man on "ballot security," a term used mainly by Republicans for poll watching with an eye to preventing voter fraud.

He presented Bloomberg campaign aides with a $1.1 million budget that included more than 1,300 paid poll watchers, an office, two-way radios and other expenses, according to prosecution filings and documents aired at the trial. Prosecutors say Haggerty did little of what he promised and used about $750,000 of the money to buy his brother's share of their late father's home.

Bloomberg financed the plan with a personal donation to the Independence Party that didn't have to be reported until after the election. Haggerty's lawyers argue that Bloomberg was trying to distance himself from a practice that has at times been subjected to court scrutiny as an alleged tool for voter suppression, something that Bloomberg's aides deny.

Since the mayor's donation to the party could not legally be earmarked for a specific purpose, it is not evidence that any money was stolen from Bloomberg, the defense argues.

The trial has offered an unusual peek behind the scenes of the mayor's self-financed campaigns and inside City Hall, as some of his closest aides have answered questions about their relationship with the mayor and how they spend his money. Former Deputy Mayor Kevin Sheekey said on the stand that he didn't enjoy his first two years in office.

[Associated Press; By SAMANTHA GROSS and JENNIFER PELTZ]

Follow Samantha Gross at http://twitter.com/samanthagross and Jennifer Peltz at http://twitter.com/jennpeltz.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.