Joe Bruno's Aide: I Managed His Public and Private Business

Former senate leader's longtime aide says she handled his consulting business on public time.

Joe Bruno, the leader of the state Senate, and Joe Bruno, the business consultant, shared a longtime aide who handled his private business while collecting a paycheck paid by the taxpayer.

Former New York Senate leader longtime statehouse secretary testified that she handled paperwork and accounting for his sideline consulting firm without being paid by the business.

In testimony at Bruno's federal corruption trial, Patricia Stackrow says she typed his financial disclosure forms, tallied his consulting receipts and expenses for taxes and wrote checks from the account of Bruno's firm, Business Consultants, to his personal bank account. Her notes show he got more than $110,000 from fees in 1993.

Stackrow says Monday that she also did Bruno's Christmas and personal shopping while on the state payroll.

Bruno is accused in eight fraud counts of using his state influence to enrich himself. He says that as "a citizen-legislator," he had a right to conduct business.
   
 

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