1992: Harendra Singh receives summonses for “minor violations” at his Bethpage restaurant, No Bananas, from the Town of Oyster Bay. He meets former town Parks Commissioner Frank Nocerino, town board member Leonard Kunzig and building inspector Gary Blanchard. Blanchard advises Singh to join the Bethpage Republican Club “if you want to live in peace.”
1993: Kunzig introduces Singh to Ed Mangano, then a Bethpage attorney, and Gary Pappas, Oyster Bay deputy planning commissioner, both of whom Singh described as rising political “stars.”
1995: Mangano runs successfully for the Nassau County Legislature; Singh campaigns for him.
1996: Singh expresses interest in running concessions at the Town of Oyster Bay golf course, but loses the contract to a vendor who bid less than him — but who is represented by Jeff Porcelli, a Sea Cliff Republican leader.
1997: Singh contributes $5,000 to the campaign of John Venditto — then the Town of Oyster Bay attorney, but “de facto town leader” — for town supervisor. “I was pretty sure he was going to be the next supervisor … I wanted to make sure I would get” the contract, Singh said.
1998: Singh is awarded the contract on an interim, three-month basis. He coordinates the details with deputy town attorney Fred Mei, “officially” meeting him, as well as Leonard Genova, Venditto’s “right-hand man.” The golf course contract is later extended through 2001, with Singh paying the town $8,000 per month.
2000: Singh enters a new contract with the town, for 20 years, with stipulations that he would make capital improvements at the golf course. The contract is later extended through 2029. “This contract gave me financial security. It afforded me the American dreams which I was looking for,” Singh said.
2004: Mei advises Singh that the contract for concessions at Tobay Beach will be up for bid. According to Singh, Mei and Genova made sure to keep the contract terms “vague” for potential bidders, rigging it so Singh was sure to win.
Singh wins the 20-year contract, agreeing to make $1 million in capital improvements.
2008: Singh receives a new extension to his golf course contract, extending it to 2049.
2009: Mangano runs for county executive. Singh donates six checks for $1,000 each to his friend’s campaign. Singh rents space at his Bethpage property to Mangano’s campaign at an 80 percent discount; the campaign does not pay in a timely manner, according to Singh.
Singh also runs a “house account” at his restaurant for Friends of Ed Mangano, which eventually totals $57,000. Mangano tells Singh the bill is “too much,” and Singh discounts it to $15,000.
When Mangano wins the race, the Bethpage space is rented to the Bethpage Republican Club.
Singh orders a $3,000 ergonomic Recaro chair for Mangano, at the county executive’s request.
2010: Singh is regularly falsifying tax returns and “kiting checks” for accounts without sufficient funds, as his businesses struggle in the post-2008 economic downturn.
Singh approaches Mangano about getting the Town of Oyster Bay to guarantee his loans; Mangano speaks to Venditto, who agrees.
Singh gives Mangano’s wife, Linda, a high-paying “no-show” job in exchange for Mangano’s help getting him the loan guarantees.
2015: Singh is indicted on federal charges of honest services wire fraud, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, federal program bribery, disaster relief fraud, conspiring to defraud the United States, impeding the Internal Revenue Service, tampering with evidence and obstruction of justice.
2016: Singh secretly pleads guilty to bribing Mangano and Venditto, and agrees to cooperate with prosecutors. He has yet to be sentenced, and continued to testify this week.