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US (New York Post) – A federal judge on Wednesday sentenced Malcolm Smith to seven years in prison, saying the former state Senate majority leader corrupted the political process by trying to buy his way onto the ballot in a crooked bid to become Mayor of New York City.No amount of good deeds, not Smith’s community advocacy, church leadership or political authority, were enough to offset his attempts to pollute the process, said Judge Kenneth Karas,Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale, who chided the once-powerful Smith for violating the public’s trust.Summing it up in blunt terms, Karas said, “If Mr. Smith had just said no to the scoundrel, which would have been so easy — ‘This is crazy, I’m not going to buy my way, even if I think I’m going to be the best Mayor in the history of New York City, I’m not going to do it, I’m going to respect the process’ — then we wouldn’t be here.”Jailed: Fmr US Senator, Malcolm SmithUS Attorney Preet Bharara — who earlier this year brought separate corruption cases that toppled Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos from their leadership posts — lauded Karas’ stiff sentence.“By attempting to buy and sell a spot on New York City’s mayoral ballot, Malcolm Smith and ­ [accomplice] Vincent Tabone corrupted one of the most fundamental tenets of the democratic process,” Bharara said.Dozens of New York politicians have faced legal or ethics charges since 2000, including John Sampson, who replaced Smith as the Senate’s Democratic leader and who is currently on trial in Brooklyn federal court for alleged obstruction of justice.Smith,Cheap Jerseys From China, 58, chose not to address the court and had no visible reaction when he heard the sentence.But in a letter to the Judge, he insisted that his only motivation was to achieve his dream of becoming Mayor.“Was I ‘greedy’ for power?” he wrote. “Is that why I wanted to be Mayor? No . What excited me, what filled me with hopefulness — and yes, pride — was the opportunity I had to help others.”But Karas, in the end, was not swayed, handing Smith a sentence that was just below the maximum under the guidelines.Instead of slugging it out with his fellow Democrats, Smith,Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping, one of Albany’s most powerful leaders, sought to buy his way onto the GOP line in 2013 so he could run for City Hall as a Republican, Prosecutors said.Smith,Wholesale NFL Jerseys, who represented southeast Queens in the State Senate, was done in when he unknowingly turned to Moses Stern — a crooked Rockland County developer who was, in fact, a cooperating federal witness — as well as another man Smith thought was a developer but who was actually an undercover federal agent. He pushed both for money and help trying to fix the election.In turn, Smith promised them $500,000 in transportation funds for a project in Spring Valley.As Smith left the courthouse, he said only, “I thank God for the opportunity I’ve had to serve.”His lawyer, Gerald Shargel,NFL Jerseys From China, vowed to appeal,Cheap Sports Jerseys, saying after the sentencing,Cheap Jerseys NFL China, “Obviously, I’m disappointed. I think Malcolm Smith was entrapped.”Shargel had requested a sentence of a year and a day, arguing that Smith had been lured into the scheme by an informant.The Attorney requested that Smith be sent to the Otisville Correctional Facility, about 80 miles north of the city, to make it easier for family visits.Karas also sentenced Tabone, a former Queens Republican Party vice chair who was convicted of receiving bribes on Smith’s behalf  , to 3¹/‚  years in prison. Tabone was also ordered to forfeit the $25,000 he received in bribes.In order get on the GOP line, Smith needed the support of at least three of the five borough Republican committees, including Tabone’s.In February, a White Plains federal jury took just 90 minutes to find Smith and Tabone guilty on the bribery charges. Tabone was also convicted of witness tam­pering.