"Luxury Bagel" Councilman Charges City To Move Offices

from William Alatriste's New York City Council Flickr

Indicted Councilman Larry Seabrook (D-Bronx), he of the $177 bagel, spent nearly $20,000 of taxpayer money to move into a new office—a month after he was indicted of massive fraud. Seabrook, who once divorced his wife without telling her, left his $3,500-a-month office on White Plains Road, which he had been using despite leasing it officially to a nonprofit he ran, to a larger office building on Boston Road this past month.

Seabrook's chief of staff Cleveland Beckett explained the move to the Post: "We think at the end of the day it is going to be a net benefit" because heating costs will go down. But the new office will have at least $1,700 worth of air conditioning and heating work before it will open.

Seabrook was charged in Feb. with a 13-count indictment on federal charges of money laundering, conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, mail and wire fraud, extortion, and receiving an unlawful gratuity. He pleaded not guilty to the charges, which also accuse Seabrook and his nonprofits of overcharging the city for rent. Seabrook also got some more exposure when he was featured in a recent Daily News roundup of NY officials "arrested, investigated and convicted for acting like New Jersey politicians." No such thing as bad publicity, right Larry?

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By Ben Yakas in News on April 5, 2010 2:20 PM

Comments [rss]

suepart

so what are you gonna do about it? probably nothin', like me. so this a-hole, and garbage like rangel, can continue to do their dirty work on your and my dime.

inoyourider

Give this asshole the boot.

cxb

But Gothamist has endorsed the status quo 100% of the time:

POLITICIANS CAN DO PRETTY MUCH ANYTHING THEY WANT WITH OUR TAXDOLLARS, from giving their cronies 500% pay raises to buying the most expensive furniture and so on.

IF Gothamist (and y'all) wanted anything to change, then you should've not blacklisted my reform candidacy for mayor.

I know it "upsets" Gothamist when I post this stuff, but they sure as heck can't say I'm wrong.

Instead, they'll end up killing the messenger to ensure the Status Quo never ever changes.

You got the govt you ASKED for.

Eric

Wow, I don't know how I didn't realize this all before. You're so right, this whole world is a mess, and it's obviously all Gothamist's fault! I'm boycotting. Starting..... now.

cxb

So you think MEDIA refusing to write up the scandals of politicians (until way after the fact) isn't WHY we keep getting crooks as our "choices" in every single election?

You think that, if the media had reported any of the endless scandals and lies of Bush or Bloomberg PRIOR TO THE ELECTION, they still would've "won" all their elections??

YOU REALLY BELIEVE THIS?

I don't think you do.

If media told the truth, NO POLITICIAN COULD BREAK ANY LAWS b/c they'd be exposed and run out of town. (Look what they did to Paterson and he hadn't even done much bad!)

Time to grow up please.

Remember: the ONLY reason we had WW2 was b/c the German media all hailed the Nazi Party and got them elected.

LaliP

i remember this guy!! why is he still in office??

but i'm really trying to understand how you can divorce someone without them knowing.. what is this, the middle east? didn't the woman need to sign something?? how did the judge not see something was amiss???

this guy is crazy.