Third Innocent Plea Entered in N.Y. Cable Case
A former Democratic Party strategist pleaded innocent Monday to a bribery charge in the cable television scandal that also led to indictments of John A. Zaccaro, husband of 1984 Democratic vice presidential candidate Geraldine A. Ferraro, and of a top state judge.
Michael Nussbaum, 39, was indicted by the same grand jury that handed up charges against Zaccaro and Queens Chief Administrative Judge Francis X. Smith. Zaccaro and Smith have pleaded innocent of involvement in illegal schemes for awarding cable television franchises in New York City.
Zaccaro, 53, was accused of bribery and extortion in a Sept. 29 indictment. About three weeks later, Smith, 64, was charged with lying to the grand jury that indicted his longtime friend, Zaccaro.
Nussbaum, a campaign consultant to Queens Borough President Donald Manes, was charged Monday with one second-degree count of receiving a bribe in an indictment unsealed at his arraignment in state Supreme Court. He pleaded innocent and was released on his own recognizance.
Manes, Nussbaum’s former boss who was at the center of the New York City corruption scandal, killed himself March 13.
Get the L.A. Times Politics newsletter
Deeply reported insights into legislation, politics and policy from Sacramento, Washington and beyond. In your inbox three times per week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
