Riverdalians in court

Two Riverdale residents in the news — and in the dock — are teetering on the scales of justice. Here’s where they are now:

• Former Liberal Party chair Raymond Harding will next appear in court in January after pleading guilty Oct. 6 to felony securities fraud as part of the fallout from the state pension fund scandal. He admitted to being installed as a placement agent by former state Comptroller Alan Hevesi’s top political aide, Hank Morris, as a reward for political favors. Mr. Harding helped a Queens Assemblyman get a private-sector job, manufacturing an opening in the Assembly for Mr. Hevesi’s son to fill. Mr. Harding secured over $800,000 in fees thanks to the job he earned by currying political favor, according to Attorney General Andrew Cuomo’s office.
• Former city Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik — in hot water because he allegedly lied to the Internal Revenue Service on a mortgage application and to city officials about his Riverdale apartment, renovations made there and the company that made the renovations, among other things — had his bail revoked Monday. He next appears in federal court in New York on Oct. 26, and is also facing federal charges in Washington, D.C.

This is part of the October 22, 2009 online edition of The Riverdale Press.

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