Pedro Espada Jr. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Acting Lieutenant Governor of New York | |
| In office June 8, 2009 – July 8, 2009[1] | |
| Governor | David Paterson |
| Preceded by | Malcolm Smith (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Richard Ravitch |
| Majority Leader of the New York State Senate | |
| In office July 9, 2009 – December 14, 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Malcolm Smith/Dean Skelos[2] |
| Succeeded by | Dean Skelos |
| Member of the New York State Senate from the 33rd district | |
| In office 2009–2011 | |
| Preceded by | Efrain Gonzalez |
| Succeeded by | Gustavo Rivera |
| Member of the New York State Senate from the 32nd district | |
| In office 2001–2002 | |
| Preceded by | David Rosado |
| Succeeded by | Rubén Díaz |
| In office 1993–1996 | |
| Preceded by | Efrain Gonzalez |
| Succeeded by | David Rosado |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 20, 1953 Coamo, Puerto Rico |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Connie Espada |
| Alma mater | Fordham University |
Pedro Espada Jr. (born October 20, 1953)[3] is an American former politician. A Democrat, Espada served multiple nonconsecutive terms in the New York State Senate.
Espada was at the center of a June 2009 power struggle in the State Senate. He was one of two Democratic senators who voted to appoint Republican Dean Skelos as Majority Leader. After his return to the Democratic caucus on July 9, 2009, Espada was chosen as Senate Majority Leader; he is the first Hispanic to have held that post. Dogged by scandals, he was defeated by Gustavo Rivera in a September 2010 primary election.
On December 14, 2010, Espada was indicted on six federal counts of embezzlement and theft; he was stripped of his leadership position in the State Senate the same day and left office in January 2011. Espada was convicted on federal corruption charges in May 2012 and was sentenced to five years in prison.
- ^ Lovett, Kenneth; Benjamin, Elizabeth; Blain, Glenn (2009-07-09). "GOP Moves to Block Gov. Paterson From Swearing in Ravitch - But Not Fast Enough, It's Already Done". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on 2009-08-15. Retrieved 2016-07-08.
- ^ During the 2009 New York State Senate leadership crisis both Smith and Skelos claimed to be Majority Leader
- ^ Unterburger, A.L.; Gale Research Inc; Delgado, J.L. (1994). Who's who Among Hispanic Americans. Gale Research. ISBN 9780810385504. ISSN 1052-7354. Retrieved September 10, 2015.