Guy Velella

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Guy John Velella (born September 25, 1944 in the Bronx, New York) is a former Republican New York State Senator from the Bronx. A political leader, state assemblyman, and state senator for over 30 years, Velella was charged in 2002 with 25 counts of bribery for allegedly accepting at least $137,000 in exchange for steering public-works contracts to the paying parties. He ultimately pleaded guilty to these charges, resigned his State Senate seat, and served a total of six months in jail.

[edit] Political career

In November 1972 at the age of 28, Velella, a Republican, was elected to represent a heavily Democratic East Bronx district in the New York State Assembly. He served in the Assembly for 10 years. After redistricting, Velella found himself running in a Democratic-leaning district. In a bitter campaign, he ran against Assemblyman G. Oliver Koppell, a Democrat, and lost by a wide margin. In January 1983, Velella returned to the full-time private practice of law. Velella was also elected to the local school board.

He returned to elected office three years later when he was elected to the New York State Senate in a special election held on April 22, 1986 to fill the unexpired term of State Senator John D. Calandra, who died on January 20, 1986. Velella also became chairman of the Bronx County Republican Party.

He was subsequently re-elected to the State Senate in November 1986 and in every subsequent election.

He resigned his seat on May 14, 2004 as part of plea bargain reached on charges that he took bribes to help people win lucrative state contracts.

[edit] Jail sentence and early release controversy

On June 21, 2004, Velella was sentenced to one year in jail for bribery under a plea deal, but was released from Rikers Island on September 28, 2004 after less than twelve weeks by the Local Conditional Release Commission.

On November 19, 2004, the mayoral commission that just two months earlier granted early release to Velella, ordered him to surrender to be returned to jail. Although Velella appealed this decision, he returned to jail on December 27th after the New York State Appeals Court refused to give him another reprieve and ordered him to surrender as ordered by a lower court decision.

He completed his sentence and was released from Rikers Island on March 18, 2005, after only serving a total of 182 days of his original one year sentence.

He is listed as #94 in Bernard Goldberg's book 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America.

Preceded by Ferdinand J. Mondello	New York State Assembly, 80th District 1973-1982	Succeeded by G. Oliver Koppell
Preceded by John D. Calandra	New York State Senate, 34th District 1986-2004	Succeeded by Jeffrey Klein