White Plains Mayor Convicted of Abusing His Wife

The embattled mayor of one of New York City's largest suburbs vowed Thursday to stay in office despite being convicted of several misdemeanor crimes in a nasty domestic violence trial.

"I am innocent, of course I'm not stepping down," White Plains Mayor Adam Bradly said outside of court after his conviction of attempted assault.

Bradley was acquitted of assaulting his estranged wife, Fumiko, but was found guilty of violating an order of protection and attempted assault for slamming her fingers in a door last February.

Acting Supreme Court Justice Susan Capeci also found Bradley guilty of harassment violations and set his sentencing for March 17. He faces a maximum of a year in prison but will most likely be sentenced to probation, court sources said.

Bradley's lawyer said he would appeal.

Bradley, 49, who is also embroiled in a divorce and an ethics probe, predicted that his convictions "will be reversed." He married Fumiko, 38, his second wife, eight years ago and the couple has two daughters, ages seven and five.

"This is also about my children, who I love more than anything," he said. "I don't want them to have a legacy of lies."

Fumiko Bradley's lawyer, Neal Comer, said the mayor approached him after the verdict saying "'I hope you're happy.'"
  
Comer added, "there's nothing to be happy about. I guess he was being sarcastic."
    
The bench trial was a messy look inside a broken marriage, with both sides claiming the other was the violent one. Fumiko Bradley testified that her husband menaced her with a giant caged cockroach, threw hot tea at her and slammed  her fingers in a door. 

The mayor countered that he was "frightened" of his five-foot-five 100 pound wife because she used to punch and slap him.
   
Bradley's attorney, Luis Andrew Penichet, said the appeal will challenge the judge's decision to bar testimony of psychologists who saw no signs of domestic abuse.

Bradley was in just his second month as mayor of White Plains, a major office and retail center 22 miles north of Manhattan, when he was arrested Feb. 28. The former state assemblyman, a Democrat, had been considered a politician on the rise.

The case prompted some city council members and constituents to call for Bradley's resignation, but he resisted, insisting he was innocent. Women's rights advocates demonstrated against him during an April court appearance.

Bradley testified that his wife made up the claims. "I never responded physically to my wife's assaults, ever," the mayor said.

He said he never called police or social workers because he wanted "to keep the family intact." He said even after his arrest, he suggested marriage counseling "because I wanted to see if there was an opportunity for us to have a reconciliation."