Edward, Linda Mangano Found Guilty In Corruption Retrial

A jury has found former Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano and his wife, Linda, guilty of corruption charges in the retrial against the couple.

According to reports, Mangano was found guilty of most charges against him: bribery, wire fraud and conspiracy to obstruct justice. Both were found guilty of conspiracy to obstruct justice. Linda was found guilty of two counts of making false statements.

According to the US Attorney's Office, Mangano faces up to 20 years in prison for the wire fraud and conspiracy charges and 10 years for bribery. Both also each face up to 20 years for each obstruction of justice charge. Both Edward and Linda Mangano are 56 years old.

“In a quid-pro-quo wheeling and dealing, Edward Mangano effectively opened the door that unjustly benefitted restaurateur Harendra Singh, sat idly by while public funds were exchanged for favors, and waited patiently in the wings to accept a payout for the plan he put in motion,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William Sweeney. “In Linda Mangano’s case, she kept up the ruse with a bogus job as food taster and menu planner at one of Singh’s restaurants. Whether they believe it or not, today we’ve proven they bit off more than they could chew.”

The U.S. Attorney's Office accused Mangano of receiving bribes and kickbacks from local businessman and restaurateur Harendra Singh in exchange for performing official actions that benefited Singh's businesses within the Town of Oyster Bay and Nassau County.

Mangano also faced charges in connection to accepting vacations and other gifts from Singh in exchange for his influence.

Authorities say Linda Mangano was given "no-show" job for years, from April 2010 to August 2014, at one of Singh's restaurants where she was paid more than $450,000 while doing little besides tasting food. When questioned about her job, she lied to FBI agents on three occasions and fabricated examples of work she claimed to do for Singh, the indictment reports.

The Manganos, both of Bethage, were arrested alongside Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto in October 2016. All three pleaded not guilty to an indictment alleging extortion, bribery and more. Venditto was acquitted of the charges against him last May.

After the jury was unable to reach a decision in the Manganos' first trial, the judge declared a mistrial on May 31, 2018.