Venditto Pleads Guilty To Corruption Charges Against Him

Former Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto pleaded guilty to corruption charges against him today, but the deal he struck with prosecutors avoids any jail time.

The 70-year-old Venditto, of Massapequa, pleaded guilty to corrupt use of position or authority and official misconduct. He was sentenced to a conditional discharge.

“Our investigation uncovered pervasive corruption in the Town of Oyster Bay where the powerful and connected used the government to benefit themselves at the expense of the taxpayers they were sworn to serve,” said Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas. “This felony plea by former Town Supervisor Venditto sends a strong message that corruption will not be tolerated in Nassau County and my office will pursue these cases aggressively without fear or favor.”

In a separate case in federal court, Venditto was 27 charges of bribery and corruption. He was found not guilty of all charges last May.

The charges Venditto pleaded guilty to stemmed from an investigation by Singas's office into corruption in the Town of Oyster Bay. Venditto, along with six others, were all charged.

Venditto was charged with illegally firing and hiring an employee, and also in a case of a local paving company that allegedly bribed town officials.

Venditto served two decades as the leader of Oyster Bay, but did not run for reelection after the charges against him were announced.