Former New York State Comptroller Alan Hevesi was sentenced Friday morning to one to four years in prison for his role in a corruption scheme involving New York State’s $125 billion pension fund.
Hevesi told the judge after sentencing: “”I will live with this shame for the rest of my life.”
Kickbacks were extracted from companies trying to do business with the pension fund, in a so-called ‘Pay-to-Play scheme.
The New York Attorney General’s Office reports that $170 million has been returned to the state and the pension fund from participants in the scheme.
Hevesi is one of eight people to plead guilty to criminal charges in the investigation.
Once Hevesi was sentenced, a court officer placed cuffs on his hands, and he was taken into custody to begin his sentence.
