Free Republic

Pedro Espada Jr., the former state senator best known for an audacious power grab that propelled him over a perennial cloud of suspicion to a top position in the State Legislature, was convicted Monday of stealing money from the nonprofit health care network that he founded and led in the Bronx. The federal jury announced the guilty verdict on four counts of theft and then left the courtroom to resume deliberations on remaining four charges, which include theft, fraud and conspiracy. Mr. Espada sat expressionless, hands resting on the table in front of him, as the jury foreman read the...