Top 10 stories of 2010

Firsts to phase outs, twisters to bomb plots

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Pedro Espada goes down

Soon-to-be former state senator of the 33rd District, Pedro Espada Jr., made headlines throughout the year and now it appears that the former boxer is down for the count.

On April 20, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo filed a suit against Mr. Espada and 19 others alleging that they stole millions of dollars from the Soundview Healthcare Center, a federally funded not-for-profit. The next day, the FBI raided Soundview.

Mr. Espada said it was, “very weak civil case that wouldn’t hold up in court.”

But on Dec. 14, Mr. Espada and his son, Pedro Gautier Espada, were indicted by a federal grand jury in Brooklyn for embezzling more than $500,000 from Soundview. The grand jury indictment alleged Mr. Espada charged thousands of dollars in sushi to his Soundview American Express card as well as other restaurants in Mamaroneck, N.Y. He also allegedly used the money for concert, sport and show tickets and paid the Bronx Equestrian Center to bring a petting zoo and a pony to his house for a member of his family’s birthday party in 2006.

Mr. Espada pleaded not guilty to the charges at a Brooklyn courthouse on Dec. 15.

“I do have abiding faith in the justice system, in the people who decide these matters, and I look forward to a full and complete vindication in court,” he told reporters.

Mr. Espada was defeated in a September primary by Kingsbridge resident Gustavo Rivera after a heated campaign that at one time included Dan Padernacht, Fernando Tirado and Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter.

Bomb plotters found guilty

The four men arrested for plotting to blow up Riverdale Jewish Center and Riverdale Temple in May 2009 were convicted on Oct. 18, nearly two months after the trial began.

All four men — James Cromitie, David Williams, Onta Williams and Laguerre Payen — were convicted of conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction within the U.S.; three counts of attempting to use weapons of mass destruction within the U.S.; conspiracy to acquire and use anti-aircraft missiles; attempting to acquire and use anti-aircraft missiles and conspiracy to kill officers and employees of the U.S. All face life in prison. Their sentencing will take place in March.

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