State Sen. Pedro Espada, Jr. wasn’t the first representative in the 33rd District to run into legal trouble.
His predecessor, Efrain Gonzalez, Jr., was sentenced to seven years in prison this May for similar federal charges. He was convicted of using two not-for-profit organizations to pay for personal expenses like Yankee tickets, jewelry, and rent for an apartment in the Dominican Republic.
Gonzalez’s sentencing came a year after he pleaded guilty to the fraud and conspiracy charges. Last winter, he attempted to withdraw his guilty plea, saying he entered it based on bad legal advice from his lawyer. A federal judge denied the motion in April.
Before Gonzalez, former State Sen. Israel Ruiz, Jr., represented the northwest Bronx in Albany — until he was sentenced to six months in prison for lying on a loan application.
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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.
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