ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Jury selection is scheduled to begin in the corruption trial of former New York state Senate Republican leader Joseph Bruno.
Once a top power broker in New York, the 80-year-old Bruno is accused of using his position to collect more than $3 million in commissions and gifts in return for using his influence to benefit labor unions and private businessmen.
He has pleaded not guilty and denounced the eight-count January indictment as a politically motivated fishing expedition.
Bruno seized the Senate's majority leadership post in a 1994 overthrow. He retired in July 2008 after serving more than 30 years in the Senate, representing an Albany-area district.
The trial, scheduled to start Monday in federal court, is expected to last weeks.
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