“A sentencing date has been set for the crooked lobbyist-turned-government-cooperator who was the star witness at the trial for a convicted aide to Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Todd Howe — an Albany lobbyist who was at the center of a pair of bid-rigging and pay-to-play corruption schemes — will be sentenced on April 5.
He faces up to 130 years in prison after pleading guilty to eight felonies. But because of his cooperation with prosecutors he is likely to get far less time in prison, despite having violated the terms of his cooperation deal with the feds when he tried to skip out on a $600 Waldorf Astoria bill.
Both his lawyers and prosecutors must submit papers by March 22 arguing to federal Judge Valerie Caproni what they think is an appropriate sentence for Howe.
Former top Cuomo aide Joseph Percoco was sentenced in September to six years in prison after Howe’s testimony helped prosecutors get a conviction against him in March for accepting over $300,000 in bribes from companies who sought to gain influence from the Cuomo administration.
Alain Kaloyeros, the architect of Cuomo’s upstate revitalizing “Buffalo Billion” program, was sentenced to three and a half years in prison earlier this month. Prosecutors said that Howe helped Kaloyeros get on Cuomo’s good side and helped get him picked to head the project.”
read the entire article
DeGregory, Priscilla. New York Post 28 December 2018.