Zaccaro Pleads Not Guilty to Charges of Seeking Bribe

NEW YORK — John A. Zaccaro pleaded not guilty to bribery charges Thursday and his wife, Geraldine A. Ferraro, said his trial would end “the nightmare we’ve been living” since her race for vice president.

The charges involve a bribe Zaccaro allegedly demanded from a cable television company in exchange for a franchise in Queens. The indictment charges that Zaccaro was peddling his influence with Donald Manes, the Queens borough president who committed suicide in March amid reports of corruption.

“I want to say in plain English that I am simply and completely innocent and know that I will be found innocent,” Zaccaro said after his arraignment. “I ask that you all bear with me--bear with us--to hold your judgment until a legal judgment is determined.”

Released on Own Recognizance

Zaccaro was released on his own recognizance by Justice Thomas Sullivan and ordered to return to Queens State Supreme Court on Oct. 30.

If convicted on the charges--one count of bribe receiving and two counts of attempted grand larceny by extortion--Zaccaro could face a maximum of seven years in prison.

Ferraro traced her husband’s legal troubles to attention drawn to the family when she became the first woman vice presidential nominee of a major party as Walter F. Mondale’s running mate in 1984.

“We’re going to prove that John is innocent in this case, and maybe once and for all we’re going to put an end to the ’84 campaign and the nightmare we’ve been living for the past two years,” she said.

“If I had not run, John Zaccaro would have been John Zaccaro, real estate broker. . . . He would not have been John Zaccaro, center of national attention, husband of Geraldine Ferraro, who ran for vice president.”

Allegedly Solicited Money

The indictment alleges that Zaccaro, “acting in concert with Donald Manes,” solicited money from an attorney for CableVision Systems Development Corp. in return for Manes’ approval of a franchise for the company in Queens.

The shakedown occurred on Oct. 27, 1981, according to the grand jury. CableVision rejected the alleged deal and did not get the franchise.

The indictment is the latest legal trouble for the Zaccaro family. On Jan. 7, 1985, Zaccaro pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of scheming to defraud a mortgage broker and a securities firm in a real estate transaction. He was sentenced to 150 hours of community service.