Brooklyn Assemblyman Boyland Backs Out of Plea Deal In Corruption Case
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A New York state assemblyman charged in a corruption case has backed out of a scheduled guilty plea.
As WCBS 880's Irene Cornell reported, Democratic Assemblyman William Boyland Jr., a political powerhouse in Brooklyn, was expected to plead guilty to charges of fraud, extortion and theft in exchange for a prison sentence of approximately nine years. But Boyland changed his mind at the last minute, as his lawyers informed a federal judge that he has instead opted to go to trial.
If convicted, Boyland could serve up to 30 years behind bars.
Brooklyn Assemblyman Boyland Backs Out of Plea Deal In Corruption Case
Prosecutors have accused Boyland of soliciting bribes in exchange for helping a carnival promoter get permits and leases. Authorities say they recorded the lawmaker naming his price in bugged hotel rooms in Atlantic City and Manhattan.
His lawyer said Tuesday that Boyland looks forward to clearing his name.
Boyland is among 30 New York officials named in corruption cases in the last seven years.
The trial will be held in December or January.
Boyland arrived in court with his lawyers and his father, William Boyland Sr., who represented the same Assembly district in Brownsville and Bedford-Stuyvesant for 20 years.
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