Efrain Gonzalez

According to a police report, Pedro Espada’s son, Alejandro, was arrested this morning in connection with an incident that occurred earlier this month, when City Hall gadfly and blogger Raphael Martinez-Alequin claimed he was attacked by Espada supporters while filming an opponent's campaign event.

Martinez-Alequin works part-time for Espada's political rival, State Senator Efrain Gonzalez.

The arrest report is pictured above.

A reader emailed to say that Bronx Democratic County Chairman Jose Rivera is hosting a victory party for State Senate Democratic challenger Pedro Espada, who ousted indicted incumbent Efrain Gonzalez in Tuesday’s primary.

The event is taking place Saturday night at the Montecarlo Room, located at 2700 Jerome Avenue.

Rivera and the county were officially supporting Gonzalez for re-election, but didn’t put enough resources behind him to help him win on Tuesday, and seem to have quickly embraced the successful insurgent.

Relatedly, Jordan Moss, an editor the West Bronx News, has a lengthy description of the Bronx Democratic County's process for re-electing their county chairman, which, according to their bylaws, has to take place within 20 days of the primary.  read more »

Here’s City Hall gadfly Rafael Martinez-Alequin talking about a complaint he filed with the police. He says he was threatened by a woman who didn't like his attempts to document allegations about State Senate candidate Pedro Espada's residency. Espada is trying to unseat Democratic incumbent Efrain Gonzalez. Martinez-Alequin is working part-time for Gonzalez.

Pedro Espada, the head of the nonprofit Soundview HealthCare Network, is sending campaign-like mailings (“From the Desk of Pedro Espada, Jr.”) from the organization's office offering things like "free mammography mobile screenings" and "free fruits and vegetables."

These mailings were handed over by a reader who lives in the Bronx. Three of the mailings were sent out in May and June and a fourth had no date stamped on the envelope.

By advertising the group’s legitimate work, Espada, who served in the State Senate representing the neighboring district, can reap the political benefit of raising his profile and being in contact with the public in a favorable way.  read more »

Here’s Village Voice investigative reporter Wayne Barrett in City Hall today, saying that Christine Quinn shouldn’t necessarily be held responsible for the City Council's recent troubles.
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State Senator Efrain Gonzalez, Jr., who is under indictment for steering public money through a non-profit organization and back into his own pocket, chatted with me after yesterday’s legislative breakfast, hosted by the Riverdale Jewish Community Council.

On the subject of his legal troubles, his lyrical defense went like this:  read more »

Just the thing the state's new health commissioner needs when getting confirmed as a member of Eliot Spitzer's administration: a "ringing endorsement" from state Senator Efrain Gonzalez, who is under indictment for using public money to, among other things, support his cigar company.

The new health commissioner, Richard Daines, was Gonzalez's personal physician, reports Liz.

Small world.

-- Azi Paybarah

It looks like the shake-up of the Senate Democratic leadership by newly installed minority leader Malcolm Smith is still underway.

According to a Democratic source in the Senate, Smith is expected to name John Sampson of Brooklyn as Chair of the Senate minority conference, replacing the twice-indicted Efrain Gonzalez of the Bronx.

Sampson's ties to former Brooklyn boss Clarence Norman were a nagging problem for him during his race for Brooklyn District Attorney, but they shouldn't matter in his new leadership role. After all, Gonzalez held the position while dealing with legal troubles, as did previous chairAda Smith.

UPDATE: John Sampson just called to say that he was offered the leadership position, but that he turned it down and that it was subsequently accepted by Martin Dilan.

When I asked Sampson why he turned it down, he offered some vague answers.

"I just declined. I just turned it down," he said. "I'm a type of person that, I'm not looking for a leadership position, I'm just looking to serve my constituents."

When I asked what kind of salary perk or staff boost came with being the conference's secretary, Samspon said, "I don't know about that. All I know is that it comes with more work."

-- Azi Paybarah

Here's a novel reaction to today's news from Albany:

Bronx Assemblyman Peter Rivera is going after U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia for his decision to announce more charges against Bronx state Senator Efrain Gonzalez, Jr. today -- just as lawmakers were getting back to Albany to vote on their pay raises.

Rivera, who is the chair of the New York State Assembly Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force, told me, "I don't understand the logic why he would pick the day we're in session to re-indict an individual again, when we're in session. Allegedly, and this is something I learned from the media, allegedly we're up here doing pay raises. Is the point to discuss, when the coverage is going to be 'pay raise' or 'no pay raise,' a member of the legislature gets indicted?

"Sound judicial policy would keep politics out of the administration of justice."

-- Azi Paybarah

The Times has this intriguing item about an impending announcement of charges against a state Senator who defrauded the public out of $400,000 in member items. -- Azi Paybarah

UPDATE: The AP just reported that the Senator in question is Efrain Gonzalez Jr.

Also, an apology: My original post here said that the Senator was rumored to have been Ruben Diaz Sr., and included a response from his office saying that the only people to have contacted them about the investigation were reporters. It turns out that there was a reason for that.

I recently came across this picture I took of Andrew Cuomo and state Senator Efrain Gonzalez this summer at the Bronx Democratic County Dinner, a few weeks before Gonzalez was charged with misusing money intended for a non-profit group.  read more »

A small reminder of how much simpler it may turn out to be in theory than in practice when it comes to taking on what Cuomo calls the "pervasive culture of dysfunction and corruption" in Albany.

-- Azi Paybarah