Biaggi Quits Congress on 2nd Corruption Conviction

Rep. Mario Biaggi, convicted of corruption charges twice within a year, tearfully resigned his seat in Congress on Friday rather than face expulsion by his colleagues.

Biaggi, 70, said he left “with sadness but no regrets” and continued to assert his innocence of the charges that led to his downfall. “Not a single penny, gift, trip, not a share of stock, ever came to me,” he said.

Once the city’s most highly decorated police officer, Biaggi, a Democrat, served 20 years in Congress and was so popular in his district that he was considered likely to win again in November, despite his convictions.

But he said he was quitting his reelection race.

Choked With Emotion

“Today I actually ended a career in public service that has spanned almost 50 years,” going back to his days as a young letter-carrier, an emotion-choked Biaggi told reporters crammed into his Bronx office.

The end came when a federal jury convicted him Thursday of racketeering, extortion and bribe-taking through Wedtech Corp., a South Bronx military contractor that made payoffs to get government work. He faces up to 20 years on the top count.

Biaggi said he was resigning, effective immediately, because his appeals will take too much time for him to continue to serve in Congress. “I wouldn’t be able to give my constituents all the time they deserve,” he said.