New York Post

Pol bares Sampson ’09 ‘crony baloney’

- Selim Algar

A Yonkers assemblywo­man testified at the federal corruption trial of state Sen. John Sampson Wednesday that the Brooklyn Democrat once asked her to help out a businessma­n who had given him a dubious loan.

Assemblywo­man Shelley Mayer was chief counsel for the state Senate in 2009, she told jurors in Brooklyn federal court, when Sampson (inset) told her that he had a friend named Edul Ahmad who was having problems drumming up realestate business.

Sensing impropriet­y, Mayer said she felt “uncomforta­ble” with the request because it was a “constituen­t issue,” and later discovered that Ahmad had business ties to Sampson.

Prosecutor­s contend that Sampson skimmed money off of foreclosur­e deals he oversaw while serving as a courtappoi­nted referee and later took a $188,500 loan from Ahmad to hide the shortfalls.

Rather than pay back the cash, Sampson instead tried to help Ahmad cultivate business, according to court papers.

The request to Mayer, they say, was an example of the political favoritism he extended to Ahmad.

Judge Dora Irizarry tossed embezzleme­nt raps against Sampson before trial, saying the statute of limitation­s for those alleged crimes had lapsed. But the politician still faces up to 20 years in prison if he’s found guilty of trying to cover up Ahmad’s loan.

The Guyanese businessma­n — who cooperated with federal authoritie­s against Sampson after being arrested for mortgage fraud — testified earlier in the trial that his former pal instructed him to withhold evidence of the loan during a conversati­on at a Queens restaurant in February 2012.

Wednesday’s proceeding was cut short by roughly 20 minutes when Sampson complained of dizziness after not having eaten for the entire day.

The trial continues on Thursday.

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