Former State Comptroller Alan Hevesi, 71, was sentenced to one to four years in prison for his role in the pay-to-play scam with the $125 billion state pension system. Hevesi, who accepted money in from firms that wanted a piece of NY State pension's pie, said in court, "I have publicly disgraced myself. I have only myself to blame. I will live with this for the rest of my life," and apologized, "I am truly sorry for my illegal conduct. First and foremost I want to apologize to the people of New York State who put their faith and confidence in me to serve them honorably. I violated their trust."
Hevesi pleaded guilty to charges last year and was supposed to be sentenced last month, but he was struck with internal bleeding. He resigned from the State Comptroller's office in 2007, after it was revealed he used state staffers to chauffeur his sick wife around. But the pension fund scandal was a bigger problem: Hevesi admitted that he took $1 million in exchanging for directing $250 million of state pension fund money to different investment firms. State Inspector General Ellen Biben said, "Instead of safeguarding the pension fund as the public had elected him to do, he violated that trust. Simply put, instead of using his power to protect the pension fund, he abused his power to pad his pockets."
Hevesi's lawyer said, "I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to suggest to your honor that a prison sentence of Mr. Hevesi, with his medical conditions, could possibly be a death sentence for him," but Justice Michael Obus noted that Hevesi was a distinguished, high-ranking official in public service, "When a person in that situation violates that trust, the damage, though not easily quantified, is quite profound"
