Lash Back

Nassau County Legis. Roger Corbin (front) and his attorney, Tom Liotti

Nassau County Legis. Roger Corbin (D-Westbury), who pleaded not guilty in federal court last week to filing false federal tax returns and making false statements to federal investigators, fired back at the media from the steps of the New York State Supreme Court building in Mineola on Wednesday.

“I take full responsibility for any mistakes I have made,” said Corbin, backed by his defense attorney, Thomas Liotti. “The avalanche of negative publicity that has been generated against me is unwarranted and unfair.”

Corbin deposited in his personal account 81 checks made payable to “cash” totaling about $226,000 from a developer working on the federally funded New Cassel revitalization project between Feb. 22, 2005 and Dec. 31, 2007, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. Since Corbin has agreed to pay any tax money he owes, Liotti believes the situation should have been handled civilly, as a “personal, private matter.”

“This case is being tried in the media,” said Liotti. “Mr. Corbin is being shown in handcuffs each and every day. Some of you present have written some stories which are totally one-sided and unfortunately do not present a balanced and fair statement of the facts and issues in this case.”

An analysis of Corbin’s banking records revealed that much of the money was used to pay the his personal expenses, and a review of his federal tax returns for the years 2005, 2006 and 2007 revealed that he did not report any of the money derived from the checks as income and did not pay income tax on that money, according to federal prosecutors. Corbin acknowledged receiving the checks in interviews with the agents conducted in November 2008, but denied using the money for his personal benefit, prosecutors add.

Corbin told the agents that he gave the money to an individual he believed to be paying workers at the developer’s New Cassel construction sites, but investigators found that the unidentified individual had died on Nov. 9, 2005, the feds say. Of the 81 checks, Corbin received 73 totaling about $206,500 after the death.

Later, in an interview with agents on April 30 of this year, prosecutors say Corbin admitted using “significant portions” of the $226,000 for his personal benefit, that he failed to claim the money on his tax returns and that he had previously lied to investigators.

Liotti plans to challenge these details, which prosecutors provided to the media, labeling them  unethical “press leaks.”

“There’s a limit to how much you can or should responsibly report,” said Liotti. “If prosecutors and lawyers make statements to the media that create a substantial likeliness prejudicing the tryers of fact, jurors in other words, then those statements are prohibited.”

A federal grand jury last week subpoenaed Corbin’s financial disclosure forms and his campaign finance reports. If convicted, Corbin faces up to five years in prison on the false statement charge and up to three years in prison for each of the false tax returns filed. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000 on each count.

“The government has chosen to pick a fight with me, so a fight I will have,” said Corbin. “I am proud of my public service. I will not resign.”