Martinez Conviction May Slush-Funnel in Other Corrupt Pols

On the heels of former City Councilman Miguel Martinez pleading guilty to stealing over $100,000 from taxpayers via slush funds, word is that investigators are eying the records of other local legislators with the possibility of more busts to come. The News says that "Martinez's scheme has offered probers a blueprint for how corrupt pols have tapped into secret slush funds." Yesterday on his radio show, Mayor Bloomberg discussed Martinez's fraud case saying, "It's an outrage. I've always thought if you steal from the public, it's worse than stealing from an individual because you're stealing from everybody. Hopefully, the judge will [sentence] as a punishment and as a disincentive to others to not steal from the public trough." While Martinez is currently out on a $250,000 bond, other nearby politicians at the epicenter of the investigation are keeping a watchful eye. At a dinner for Bronx Democrats this week, the Post says elected officials were (half-) joking that their conversations were possibly being recorded.