Federal prosecutors have revealed more about their investigation into corruption in Suffolk County. And its focus appears to be District Attorney Tom Spota.
WSHU’s Charles Lane tells our newscast unit that Spota was named repeatedly in court filings.
“Federal prosecutors often back their way into cases. The backdoor to Spota started with Ed Walsh, a corrections officer and head of the Suffolk County Conservative Party. Two years ago, the sheriff’s office was investigating allegations that Walsh was lying on his time sheets. The FBI later arrested Walsh for fraud. In documents for that upcoming trial, prosecutors say that Spota repeatedly thwarted the investigation and even protected Walsh from a separate investigation when Walsh was caught during an illegal gambling raid.”
Eugene O’Donnell, a former prosecutor and professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, says federal investigators rarely get involved in local politics.
“And for them to stop and take notice is a fairly unusual matter and should raise all kinds of red flags.” he says.
Spota was elected in 2001 in large part because of Walsh’s conservative party support. Neither Spota nor his spokesman responded to request for comment.
