If 2010 was a terrible year for Pedro Espada, Jr., the soon-to-be former state senator, then 2011 could be even worse.

In April, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo filed a civil suit, charging that Espada had used Soundview HealthCare Network, the nonprofit he founded and runs, as a “personal piggy bank.” He stole $14 million, the suit alleges, spending it on family trips, restaurant bills and, famously, take-out sushi delivered to Espada’s Westchester home.

The following day, the FBI raided Soundview’s offices, carting off boxes of files and paperwork to be used as evidence. Espada, the then-majority leader (a post he landed in return for ending the Senate “coup” he orchestrated in 2009), brushed off the allegations and insisted Cuomo’s attacks were politically motivated.

He continued to brush off allegations, raised throughout his time in office, that he prioritized landlords’ interests over tenants’ and that his primary residence was in Westchester, not Bedford Park.

In September, a little known college professor and political operative by the name of Gustavo Rivera defeated Espada in the Democratic primary (see page 6).

Espada, who ran a mean-spirited and strangely amateurish campaign, lay low after his defeat, despite declaring on Facebook that he’s “never been a quitter” and would “continue being a senator through December 31st.”

Perhaps his mind was elsewhere. On Dec. 14, federal prosecutors charged Espada and his son, Pedro G. Espada, with embezzlement and conspiracy, accusing them of looting more than $500,000 from Soundview. Among the purchases, according to the indictment, was an attempted down-payment on a Bentley automobile and a petting zoo at a family member’s birthday party.

Both father and son pleaded not guilty and posted bail. Espada, who was stripped of his majority leader title after the indictment, officially leaves office on Dec. 31.

If this is indeed the end of Espada’s political career — more indictments are expected and Cuomo’s civil case hasn’t gone away — then it will have been a career marked by missed opportunities.

Face to face, the 56-year-old is likeable, personable, and sharp as a whip. And he’s a talented negotiator — as the Senate “coup” proved — with boundless energy and serious business acumen. In other words, Espada could have served the 33rd Senate District, one of the poorest in the state, with distinction.

But in the end, his critics charge, and the indictment alleges, Espada was more concerned with looking out for number one and not those who elected him in the first place.

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.