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A mistrial has been declared in Councilman Larry Seabrook's federal corruption trial.  After a solid week of deliberations the jury could not reach a consensus on any of the 12 counts against the 60-year-old Bronx council member. 

WNYC's Bob Hennelly has a great piece up on our website today on the long history of politicians standing accused, but refusing to stand down. The seeming ever-growing list of indicted elected officials (with some potentially on the way) goes back to time immemorial...or, at least to Aarron Burrs' mortal strike that left Alexander Hamilton dead on the banks of the Hudson.

"Over the years several public officials in New York have elected to stay in office even as they face criminal charges and indictments  -- despite the common misperception that an indictment in of itself is  evidence of culpability," Hennelly writes. "It is not."

Indicted and criminally charged officials continuing to serve in elective office presents a conundrum that puts two of our most fundamental democratic principles in quite a tension: The right to the resumption of innocence that is foundational to our nation's legal system and the right of constituents to unencumbered representation.

Check out the full article here. Check out the broadcast version above.

Jurors in the federal corruption trial of City Councilman Larry Seabrook remained deadlocked Thursday, the fifth day of deliberations.

Jurors in Councilman Larry Seabrook's federal corruption trial completed its fourth day in deliberations Wednesday after asking for more transcripts of testimony from a half dozen witnesses — including the embattled politician's former girlfriend.

The jury in the federal corruption trial of Councilman Larry Seabrook has completed their third full day of deliberations and will  resume Wednesday.

The jury in the Councilman Larry Seabrook federal corruption trial cannot reach consensus on any of the 12 counts against the embattled former Assemblyman and state Senator, they told a judge in Manhattan federal court Monday.

The jury in Councilman Larry Seabrook's Federal corruption trial ended its first day of deliberations by sending a note out to trial Judge Patterson saying they were deadlocked on the first criminal count against the Bronx Council. That count relates to allegations Seabrook solicited $50,000 dollars from a contractor looking for work in the new Yankee Stadium.

One of the government's key witnesses in the federal corruption trial of Councilman Larry Seabrook admitted under cross examination Tuesday that she has been under the care of a physician for the early stages of dementia.

In the third week of the federal corruption trial of City Councilman Larry Seabrook, who is accused of pocketing more than a million dollars in city funds, a government witness had trouble recalling key details.

From WNYC:

A veteran City Council member funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars meant for charity to benefit himself, his girlfriend and family, prosecutors charged Wednesday.

Larry Seabrook, 60, was charged last year in a probe of alleged abuse of discretionary funds — prosecutors claim the Democrat placed his girlfriend, family members and friends on the payroll of charities, even though they did little or no actual work.

Read more here.

A veteran City Council member funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars meant for charity to benefit himself, his girlfriend and family, prosecutors charged Wednesday.

Among the people who attended a rally to oppose non-partisan elections: City Council members Larry Seabrook and Ydanis Rodriguez, who are each facing legal issues and may not be the best spokesmen to have at hand.