BROOKLYN POL BUSTED

Brooklyn Pol Convicted of Bribery in $1 Bid for $500,000 Home
NEW YORK (AP) -- A state lawmaker was convicted Tuesday of trying to have a private developer build her a $500,000 home for a dollar in exchange for helping him secure a vacant city lot worth millions for a development project, prosecutors said.
Diane Gordon, a Democrat who represented the state Assembly's 40th District in Brooklyn, was accused of trying to get the house built in return for helping the builder acquire a $2 million lot in the East New York neighborhood, District Attorney Charles J. Hynes's office said.

A state Supreme Court jury convicted Gordon, who has maintained her innocence, of bribe receiving, receiving bribes by members of the Legislature, official misconduct, receiving reward for official misconduct and unlawful fees and payments, prosecutor's said. She faces a maximum 10 years in prison when she is sentenced May 20.

The developer, Ranjan Batheja, worked with authorities in hopes of improving his fate in an unrelated legal case and secretly recorded his conversations with the legislator.
On videotapes played during the trial, Gordon described to Batheja the home she wanted, including granite countertops, cherry wood cabinets and whirlpool baths.
She told him he could ``make it happen'' and said, ``One hand washes the other,'' according to the tapes.

In recorded conversations, according to investigators, Gordon told Batheja she wanted the house ``for little to nothing'' and that ``I don't want to pay a mortgage.''
In a statement Tuesday, Hynes said it was ``especially appalling'' that Gordon was seeking to have a house built outside her district.
``She did not even want the house built in Brooklyn,'' Hynes said. ``She had her eye on a new, gated development in the borough of Queens.''
Hynes said Gordon ``violated her oath'' as a member of the Assembly and ``flagrantly violated'' her constituents' trust.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver described the scandal as an ``an unfortunate situation.''
``My heart goes out to Ms. Gordon's family,'' Silver said. ``However, this has been proved to be a breach of the public trust, and the legal system is dealing with it accordingly.''
Gordon, who first was elected to the Assembly in 2000 and won re-election after her 2006 indictment, ultimately called off the deal; Batheja wasn't selected to develop the city property he had sought.

On Tuesday, Gordon's picture had been removed from the Assembly's Web site; the 40th District seat, the site says, is vacant.
Under state law, a state legislator immediately loses his or her position if convicted of a felony.
Telephone messages left for Gordon's lawyer, Danielle Eaddy, and at the 40th District's offices Tuesday evening weren't immediately returned.

Eaddy has said that her client was ``naive'' in her dealings with Batheja. She has said her client was manipulated by authorities and was entrapped by Batheja.
Prosecutors said they didn't know the status of Batheja's other case. A telephone message left after hours at Batheja's company wasn't immediately returned.