Tuesday, July 6, 2010

There was double trouble Monday for Sen. Pedro Espada.

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SEN. Pedro Espada, Jr.

CBS 2 HD has learned that federal prosecutors are closing in on an indictment and state Democrats want to throw him out of the party.

CBS 2 HD has exclusive information on the expected indictment.

His car was in the driveway but Sen. Espada didn't come to the door. He did turn on his sprinklers. We tried to give him an opportunity to ask some questions, but then the police showed up.

"We are trying to find out if somebody is trying to break in or not," an officer said.

Sources tell CBS 2 HD that federal prosecutors are getting ready to indict the embattled Bronx politician on a raft of charges relating to his use of money from his Soundview healthcare empire for his personal and political use.

One potential charge is mail fraud, sources said.

As CBS 2 HD first reported last summer, Espada sent out political mailings believed to have been paid for with money from the health clinic. The political mailings had the same postage permit number as the Soundview clinic -- reportedly a no-no.

But that's not all. The state Democratic Party is trying to give Espada the bum's rush. They want him out of the party. In part because, as CBS 2 HD first told you, he doesn't live in his Bronx district. He lives in Mamaroneck.

In an unprecedented move, a top party official is sending a letter to Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, the Bronx party chairman, demanding that he yank Espada's party enrollment.

The letter from party official Edgar Santana reads in part: "For more than a decade, Sen. Espada has cavalierly flouted campaign finance rules. He operates in open defiance of state residency requirements. Sen. Espada's decision to affiliate with the Democrats is the result of opportunism and personal gain, not a commitment to Democratic ideals."

State party chairman Jay Jacobs told CBS 2 HD Espada has to go because:

"Democrats are embarrassed by his actions and the accusations against him. They believe he does not represent the party, its values or principals," Jacobs said.

Sources say Espada could be indicted by the feds by the end of this month or early next month.

Espada's spokesman did not return calls seeking comment. Dumping him as a Democrat could take months.

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