U.S. Attorney Wants to Take Away Corrupt Politicians’ Pensions

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara has had enough of corrupt politicians breaking the law — then collecting their taxpayer-funded pensions from jail, parole or scandal-induced retirements.

The prosecutor Tuesday took the unprecedented step of notifying three indicted New York pols that he plans to go after their pensions if they’re convicted.

While New York state law allows public officials to collect their pensions even after they’ve been convicted of felonies, the federal prosecutor says he has a way to get some of that money back.

He filed notices of forfeiture Tuesday targeting State Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-Queens), City Councilman Dan Halloran (R-Queens) and Assemblyman Eric Stevenson (D-Bronx), who all stand to collect pensions paid by the same taxpayers they’re accused of robbing.

Smith faces charges for allegedly paying off Republican operatives to help him get on the ballot in an ultimately abandoned run for mayor. Halloran and Stevenson are charged with pocketing thousands of dollars in bribes.

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