Politics
Preet Bharara’s rogues’ gallery
More than a dozen political players were prosecuted by the powerful U.S. attorney.
Preet Bharara took down top leaders in the state Legislature. Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Lambda Legal
Preet Bharara is one of New York’s 20 most influential politicians of the past 20 years. See the full list.
During Preet Bharara’s tenure as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York from 2009 to 2017, his crusade against public corruption made him one of the most feared men in New York. Here’s a list of the key political figures he toppled – and how their cases concluded.
Vincent Leibell
Charges: Obstruction of justice, extortion, tax evasion
Outcome: Pleaded guilty in December 2010, sentenced to 21 months in prison
Carl Kruger
Charges: Bribery, honest services fraud
Outcome: Pleaded guilty in December 2011, sentenced to seven years in prison
Nick Spano
Charges: Tax fraud and obstruction
Outcome: Pleaded guilty in February 2012, sentenced to a year and a day in prison
Sandy Annabi
Charges: Bribery, extortion, tax fraud
Outcome: Convicted in March 2012, sentenced to six years in prison, conviction upheld on appeal, released from prison to a halfway house in August 2017
Hiram Monserrate
Charges: Mail fraud, mail fraud conspiracy
Outcome: Pleaded guilty in May 2012, sentenced to two years in prison
Larry Seabrook
Charges: Mail fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy
Outcome: Mistrial in December 2011, convicted July 2012, sentenced to five years in prison, conviction upheld on appeal in 2015
Nelson Castro
Charges: Making false statements to federal officials
Outcome: Resigned in April 2013 in cooperation with prosecutors, later pleaded guilty to a single charge of lying to investigators, sentenced to community service and probation
Eric Stevenson
Charges: Bribery
Outcome: Convicted in January 2014, sentenced to three years in prison
Gabriela Rosa
Charges: Making false statements to immigration authorities and making false declarations to a federal bankruptcy court
Outcome: Pleaded guilty June 2014, sentenced to a year and a day in prison
Dan Halloran
Charges: Bribery, wire fraud and conspiracy
Outcome: Convicted in July 2014, sentenced to 10 years in prison, upheld on appeal
Malcolm Smith
Charges: Wire fraud, bribery and extortion
Outcome: Mistrial in June 2014, convicted in February 2015, sentenced to seven years in prison, upheld on appeal, released from prison in May 2020
Tom Libous
Charges: Making false statements to federal officials
Outcome: Convicted in July 2015, sentenced to six months of house arrest, conviction vacated in May 2017 because Libous died in 2016 while his appeal was pending
Sheldon Silver
Charges: Honest services fraud, extortion and conspiracy
Outcome: Convicted in November 2015, sentenced to 12 years in prison, conviction overturned in 2017, convicted again in 2018, sentenced to seven years in prison, conviction partially overturned
Dean Skelos
Charges: Extortion, bribery and honest services wire fraud
Outcome: Convicted in December 2015, sentenced to five years in prison, conviction overturned in 2017, convicted again in 2018, sentenced to four years in prison, upheld on appeal
Joe Percoco
Charges: Honest services wire fraud and bribery
Outcome: Convicted in March 2018, sentenced to six years in prison, conviction partially overturned by U.S. Supreme Court in 2023, two of three convictions later upheld
Alain Kaloyeros
Charges: Wire fraud and conspiracy
Outcome: Convicted in July 2018, sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison, conviction overturned by U.S. Supreme Court in 2023, pleaded guilty in lower court in 2025, avoids further prison time
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