NEW YORK -- A political operative who worked on the election bids of prominent New York Republicans has been convicted of cheating Mayor Michael Bloomberg out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Jurors found John Haggerty guilty Friday of grand larceny and money laundering, ending a case that has put a spotlight on the billionaire mayor and the inner workings of his campaigns.
Haggerty was accused of promising the mayor's 2009 campaign an elaborate poll-watching operation, then spending just $32,000 on the effort and pocketing most of the rest to buy a house. He could face up to 15 years in prison.
In the end, jurors were unconvinced by defense lawyers who often tried to turn their attention to the mayor's wealth, arguing that Bloomberg's staff didn't care how Haggerty spent the money as long as they won.
-- Associated Press
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