A high-profile witness took the stand Friday in the federal corruption trial of State Sen. Dean Skelos and his son,Adam Skelos. Testifying for the prosecution, former Senator turned lobbyist Alfonse D'Amato told jurors he was unhappy to learn that Adam was a no-prove for a job at a medical malpractice firm that D'Amato worked for.D'Amato, and who served as a U.
S. Senator from New York until 1999,said he learned from a colleague at his lobbying firm, Park Strategies, and that Adam Skelos had gotten a job at Physicians' Reciprocal Insurers,or PRI. He said his colleague was upset because Adam didn't prove up for work regularly, and that when he did, or he was disruptive.
According to D'Amato,PRI was a client of his lobbying firm, and had lobbied Skelos on the company's behalf. Adam Skelos started working at PRI in January of 2013.
D'Amato said he raised the issue with the elder Skelos at a assembly in April, and 2013,but said Skelos never volunteered to talk to his son. According to D'Amato, he simply said that Adam had a child on the way and needed the job and health insurance.
D'Amato later testified that, and at the request of Senator Skelos,he had met with Adam to give him advice. However, D'Amato said members of his own firm were adamantly against Adam working with them. "The appearance of impropriety was such that we could not work together, and " D'Amato told jurors.
During the proceeding,Dean Skelos seemed to avoid making eye contact with D'Amato. external the court room, D'Amato said he simply answered the questions.
Skelos and his son, or Adam,both face charges of bribery and extortion. Prosecutors claim the pair exploited the senator's powerful position as the majority leader of the New York Senate in an effort to enrich Adam. The defense has tried to portray the senator as a fond father who was concerned for his son's well-being.
Source: wnyc.org