By Dana Williams and Mike Caputo
Corbin surrendered to federal agents on May 6 on charges of evading taxes on $226,000 in income that he allegedly received from a developer, and then lying about it to federal agents, according to court papers. The developer is said to be one of several involved in the Town of North Hempstead Community Development Agency’s $60 million New Cassel Revitalization Project, but was not identified in the complaint.
According to a court affidavit, 82 checks from the developer, totaling $229,000, were made out to cash between Feb. 22, 2005, and Jan. 11, 2008, and deposited into four bank accounts in Corbin’s name. The checks, which ranged from $1,500 to $6,000, were all associated with expenses related to the revitalization project, the complaint states. An analysis of the accounts and Corbin’s financial records by the Internal Revenue Service and the FBI, however, showed that Corbin used the money for personal expenses, the court affidavit states.
The complaint also states that Corbin — who represents the 2nd Legislative District, which includes Lakeview, parts of West Hempstead, East Meadow, New Cassel and other areas — falsely reported a total income for 2005 through 2007 of $575,873 on his federal tax returns, when his income for those years was approximately $801,873.
Federal agents interviewed Corbin about the money at his Westbury home on Nov. 20, 2008, when, according to FBI officials, Corbin acknowledged that he deposited the developer’s checks into his accounts, but claimed that he “didn’t benefit one iota” because he gave the funds to an individual to pay workers at one of the developer’s construction sites in New Cassel. That individual was not identified in the complaint.
“I know as a lawmaker, if I got money that benefited me, I would have to pay federal, state and local taxes,” Corbin said in the interview with the agents, according to court papers.
FBI agents claim in the affidavit, however, that the individual Corbin allegedly gave the money to died on Nov. 9, 2005, so Corbin could not have given money to the individual after that date. The affidavit states that 73 of the 82 checks Corbin received were deposited into his accounts after the individual died. Those checks totaled $206,500.
In a second interview with FBI and IRS agents on April 30, Corbin admitted that he lied in the November interview and that he used at least $108,000 for his own benefit, the complaint states. It is a felony to lie to a federal agent, police said.
Corbin was arrested in the IRS building in Garden City last Wednesday morning, and pleaded not guilty to charges of tax evasion and lying to federal agents in U.S. District Court in Central Islip later the day. He was released on his own recognizance by Magistrate Arlene Lindsay, police said. Another hearing has been scheduled for May 26. If convicted on all charges, Corbin could face up to 11 years in prison and be ordered to pay more than $70,000 in back taxes, plus interest and other penalties, and nearly $1 million in fines, court officials said.
Corbin’s attorney, David Blythewood, did not return calls requesting comment.
Reactions
Corbin’s arrest has shocked and upset many, especially his colleagues and others who know him well. “I am saddened by the news reports I have read about Legislator Corbin,” said Town of Hempstead Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby, who also represents Lakeview and parts of West Hempstead. “My feelings are with his family during this time.”
“This is a sad time for a colleague and friend,” Legislative Presiding Officer Diane Yatauro added. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the Corbin family.”
Lifelong Lakeview resident and Malverne High School boys basketball coach Darrol Lopez, who ran unsuccessfully against Corbin in 2007, said he plans to reach out to the legislator to offer his help. “Roger is a good person in this community and he does a lot of good work in this district, so it’s just upsetting to hear something like this,” Lopez said. “A person is innocent until proven guilty, so I hope the end result in this situation is a good one.”
And although many community members in Lakeview declined to comment about Corbin’s arrest, several said the allegations do not overshadow the positive changes he has helped bring about in Lakeview and the Malverne School District. In 2007, Corbin helped to secure a county grant that helped to fund a new Malverne High School track. Last December, he completed a 10-year effort to rename Woodfield Road, between Lakeview and Hempstead avenues, after Olympic gold medalist and Lakeview resident Derrick Adkins. The street is now known as Derrick Adkins Road.
“Roger has been supporting this community for many years, and he is a man that is dedicated to helping young people and his constituents,” said resident Charles Nanton, chairman of the Lakeview Youth Federation Inc. “I’m just praying that everything will be OK for Roger and his family.”
Corbin has served in the county Legislature since its inception in 1995 and is now in his seventh term. No announcement has been made about Corbin’s future as a county official, but many locals are beginning to question how a potential resignation could affect the Legislature. If Corbin, whose term expires at the end of this year, decides to resign, the Democrats could lose their slim 10-9 majority on the Legislature until the seat is filled.
According to the Nassau legislative charter, if Corbin resigns before June 1, a special election will be held to elect a replacement. If Corbin resigns after June 1, however, the seat will remain vacant until Election Day in November, and until whoever is elected is sworn-in on Jan. 1. If that happens, it would leave the Legislature potentially deadlocked at nine Democrats and nine Republicans for as long as the seat remained vacant.
A resignation by Corbin would not mark the first time a member of the Legislature has stepped down. In July 2002, former Legislator Patrick Williams, a Democrat who represented the 1st District, resigned before pleading guilty to federal charges related to fraudulent mortgage loan applications.
Kevan Abrahams, a Democrat from Hempstead, won convincingly in a special election held that September, which allowed Democrats to maintain the majority in the Legislature, county officials said. Abrahams, who served the final year of Williams’s term, is now in his third full term as a legislator. The Democrats have not lost the majority since Williams’s resignation.
Comments about this story? DWilliams@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 205.
