In dough
Seabrook: Blaz donor ‘Oscar’ act fooled me
FORMER JAILS union boss Norman Seabrook was duped by the felonious de Blasio donor who testified against him, but he didn’t commit any crime, his lawyer told a jury Tuesday during closing arguments.
Jona Rechnitz — who raised $193,000 for Mayor de Blasio and testified that he made campaign donations to get access and influence — said he delivered a $60,000 kickback to Seabrook in late 2014.
Rechnitz has pleaded guilty to a corruption count.
Seabrook is accused of pocketing the cash in exchange for sending $20 million in union money to a questionable hedge fund managed by Murray Huberfeld, who is on trial with Seabrook in Manhattan Federal Court.
Seabrook both 57, innocence. and Huberfeld, maintain their
Much of Seabrook and Huberfeld’s defense focused on Rechnitz’s repeated admissions of wrongdoing, including heaping campaign contributions on Hizzoner in hopes of getting favors.
Seabrook’s lawyer, Paul Shechtman, claims the onetime Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association boss was lured into Rechnitz’s orbit — including by his reputation as a powerful fund-raiser.
“Norman Seabrook wanted to be the mayor of this city, he had his own aspirations,” Shechtman said. “You can fault Norman Seabrook for falling for Jona’s act, but it was a good act — an act worth of an Oscar.”
Huberfeld’s lawyer, Henry Mazurek, echoed Shectman’s takedown of the 34-year-old Rechnitz — casting him as a ne’er-do-well “leech” who craved the bizman’s contacts.
“The only thing Murray Huberfeld is guilty of is allowing Jona Rechnitz into his life,” Mazurek said.
But prosecutor Kan Nawaday slammed the defense strategy in his closing statement, saying the lawyers focused on Rechnitz to distract the jury.
Despite Rechnitz’s bad behavior, “You know he’s telling the truth” because independent evidence matches his testimony, the prosecutor said.
“Now, no one is saying Jona Rechnitz is a model citizen,” Nawaday said. “He’s a criminal, he’s done terrible things . . . . We aren’t asking you to like Jona Rechnitz — you shouldn’t.”
Rechnitz’s lawyer, Alan Levine, declined to comment on the closing statements.