Ex-Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano sentenced to 12 years in prison

Former Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano was sentenced to 12 years behind bars Thursday for accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from a Queens restaurateur.

His wife Linda – who was convicted of helping to cover up the corrupt arrangement – was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment.

Judge Joan Azrack, who handed down the prison terms to the Bethpage couple in two separate hearings in Central Islip federal court, also ordered Mangano, 60, to pay a $20,000 fine. 

Mangano was convicted in 2019 of accepting bribes and kickbacks from the restaurateur, Harendra Singh, including five paid vacations, a pricey watch, hardwood flooring for his home, a $3,600 vibrating chair and a $100,000 per year no-show job for Linda, 59.

In exchange, the once-powerful politician  – who served in his position from 2010 to 2017 – pressured local officials to guarantee $20 million in loans for Singh.

The scheme lasted for five years beginning in 2010 and continuing through 2015, prosecutors said at trial.

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“From the moment he was elected, Edward Mangano sold himself and his office,” Brooklyn US Attorney Breon Peace said at a press conference after. “He cashed in the power, the resources, and the influence of his office to enrich himself and his wife.” 

“Simply put, Edward Mangano is going to jail for brazenly abusing the power of his office as the top elected official of Nassau County,” Peace continued. “He is going to jail for betraying not only the people who elected him, but every resident of Nassau County who believes that government is supposed to do good, make our lives better and serve our communities honestly and without public officials lining their pockets with taxpayers’ hard-earned money.”

Mangano’s lawyer Kevin Keating told The Post by email: “We are disappointed with the sentence, and we now move on to the appeal. We remain confident.”

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During a seven-week trial – following a 2018 mistrial – star witness Singh testified under a cooperation agreement that he was a major donor to Mangano and that he lavished the county exec and Linda with gifts to curry favor with them.

Mangano was convicted of accepting bribes in exchange for official government action and conspiracy to obstruct justice. Linda was convicted of conspiracy, obstruction of justice and making false statements. The pair both faced up to two decades in prison.

Mangano was cleared of extortion and of allegations that he helped Singh get lucrative contracts to provide food to the county jail and to emergency workers after Hurricane Sandy.

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In 2016, Singh copped to bribing former Mayor Bill de Blasio with tens of thousands for his campaign in exchange for getting a city lease for Water’s Edge. De Blasio was not charged in the scheme.

Azrack ordered Mangano to turn himself in on June 13 and Linda to surrender on June 27.

The judge said the amount that the couple should pay in restitution would be determined at a later date.

Linda’s lawyer didn’t immediately return a request for comment.