Anthony Seminerio served 30 years as a New York state legislator from southwest Queens before going to prison. In 2009, the politician pleaded guilty to abuse of office. Read more about the conservative Democrat with a scandalous reputation on queensyes.com.
Corrections officer
Anthony Seminerio was born on February 15, 1935 in New York. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the New York Institute of Technology. Then, he worked as a corrections officer. His duty was to provide care, guardianship, control and rehabilitation of those in the correctional colony. In addition, Seminerio was a member of the executive board of the Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association.
Seminerio often took part in negotiations, which is why he traveled to the capital of the state of New York, the city of Albany. He also founded and served as treasurer of the New York State Peace Officers Association.
State legislator
From 1979 to 2009, Anthony Seminerio represented southwest Queens in the New York State Assembly. By the way, the Assembly is the lower house of the Legislature of New York. The upper house is the Senate. The Assembly consists of 150 members who are elected for 2 years. They do not have a limit on the number of terms. The Assembly meets in the Capitol.
In the Assembly, Seminerio declared himself one of the most conservative members of the New York City delegation. He opposed abortion, supported the death penalty and advocated a tough stance on crime. Despite this, the politician cared about the interests of the community. One of Seminerio’s greatest achievements in office was the founding of the Center for the Elderly. The legislator was an effective and persistent fighter for the rights of his constituents for more than 30 years.
What was he convicted for?
In June 2009, Anthony Seminerio resigned after prosecutors charged him with fraud. At the same time, the politician admitted that he illegally received large sums of money while working in the Assembly. He promoted the interests of Jamaica Hospital Medical Center among legislators, for which the hospital paid him a certain amount. He also used his status to demand payments from the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce.
Law enforcement officers listened to the phone conversations of Seminerio, who repeatedly referred to himself as ‘the godfather’, comparing his antics with the Sicilian mafia. They also used an undercover agent to call Seminerio during the investigation. The agent paid $25,000 to the politician for assistance in obtaining tax credits for brownfield redevelopment projects. In addition to the loans, Seminerio promised to propose legislation with provisions beneficial to these projects.
Anthony Seminerio was found to have secretly received payments from people or entities involved in government affairs during roughly his last decade in office. Sometimes, he even threatened those who resisted his requests for money. The payments were directed to the consulting company Marc Consultants, which Seminerio created to hide the income. Prosecutors estimate the hospital paid him $310,000.
Seminerio’s guilty plea carried a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and fines. However, in February 2010, the lawmaker was sentenced to 6 years in prison. Lawyers asked the court for leniency, citing Seminerio’s years of service and his health problems, including artery disease and hypertension.
The corruptor died in January 2011 at the age of 75 in a correctional complex in North Carolina. The cause of death is unknown.