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Cuomo needs to lay thickest punishment upon Hank Morris for ...New York Daily News - EDITORIAL Cuomo needs to lay thickest punishment upon Hank Morris for multimillion-dollar state pension lootSunday, November 7th 2010, 4:00 AM Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has moved to close an investigation into a multimillion-dollar looting of the state pension fund by allowing the ringleader to cop to a single felony plus restitution. Cuomo's proposed plea bargain would subject master manipulator Hank Morris to a maximum of four years in prison, with probation a possibility, plus forking over the $19 million he pilfered. Quite properly, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Lewis Stone insisted on delving into the wisdom of the deal before giving his okay. He must be sure Cuomo got the most he could after assessing the odds of winning a tougher conviction at trial. The details of the arrangement are as yet secret because Stone sealed the document that spells them out. But recouping the $19 million lessens the sting considerably. The need for the toughest possible punishment is clear. Consider that Morris, a close pal of disgraced former Controller Alan Hevesi, sold access to the fund to money managers seeking to earn huge fees. That he faces a 77-count indictment, including one charge that carries a penalty of up to 25 years. That seven other figures, including Hevesi, have pleaded guilty. That various Wall Street firms caught up in the conspiracy have paid $150 million in restitution. That other recently convicted Albany pols received longer sentences for smaller transgressions against taxpayers. And that Cuomo himself - in a recent interview with the Daily News Editorial Board - trumpeted the pension-fund case as "probably the largest political corruption scandal in modern political history." Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2010/11/07/2010-11-07_punish_pension_pilferers.html#ixzz14dD1u7vK========================================================================================== Hank Makes A Deal As Andrew Hits The AirwavesNY1 - Bob Hardt - 20 hours ago Hakim & Story report: “Hank Morris, a onetime political adviser to Alan G. Hevesi, the former state comptroller, on Thursday became the latest figure in the =============================================================================== THE JUDGE NEEDS TO THROW THE BOOK AT HANK MORRIS NO DEALS Before there was the "Oracle at Delphi" there was Count Vampire J. Machiavelli VJ Machiavelli The Legislative Budget is Too Damn High |