Joseph Percoco, a former aide to Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Photo Credit: David Handschuh/NYLJ

Joseph Percoco, a former top aide to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, was sentenced to six years in prison on Thursday after being convicted earlier this year of taking more than $300,000 in bribes from two companies with business before the state.

U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni of the Southern District of New York delivered the sentence in Manhattan to a solemn Percoco, whose attorneys were hoping for two years or less behind bars.

Percoco, often referred to as Cuomo's behind-the-scenes political fixer, was convicted by a jury in March on three counts of bribery in an eight-week trial. He was cleared by the jury on three other counts.

Attorneys in the office of U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman for the Southern District of New York had asked Caproni to deliver a sentence that would “meaningfully exceed” five years for Percoco to set a precedent for other public corruption cases. Berman said in a statement after sentencing that Caproni's decision should be taken as a warning for public officials who engage in corruption.

“Today's sentence sends a strong message that public officials who violate their duties to faithfully serve the citizens of New York will be held accountable for their corrupt action,” Berman said.

Percoco is represented by Barry Bohrer, a partner at Schulte Roth & Zabel in Manhattan. Percoco deferred comment after court to Bohrer, who said he plans to appeal.

“We wanted the judge to look at Joe for who he is and not make reference to other cases and other people,” Bohrer said. “We will appeal.”

The sentencing brings to an end, for now, a political saga that shook Cuomo's inner circle when former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara indicted Percoco in 2016. Percoco was Cuomo's campaign manager in 2014 and served as a top official in the executive chamber until he left state government in 2016.

Cuomo, who has not been accused of any wrongdoing, echoed Berman's thoughts in his own statement after Percoco's sentencing.

“Joe Percoco is paying the price for violating the public trust,” Cuomo said. “And it should serve as a warning to anyone who fails to uphold his or her oath as a public servant. On a personal level, the human tragedy for Joe's young children and family is a very sad consequence.”

Cuomo has described Percoco's crimes as “personally painful” and said in March that the jury's verdict “demonstrated that these ideals have been violated by someone I knew for a long time.”

Percoco's history with Cuomo is anything but short. His career in state government began when Cuomo's father, Mario Cuomo, was governor in the early 1990s. Cuomo has described Percoco in the past as his father's third son.

His was the latest in a string of corruption convictions involving state officials who used their position for bribes and kickbacks. Caproni noted the pattern of corruption coming out of state government during sentencing.

“I hope this sentence will be heard in Albany,” Caproni said.

Percoco was convicted of using his connections in state government to benefit two companies in exchange for more than $300,000.

Competitive Power Ventures, an energy company that wanted to build a power plant in the Hudson Valley, paid Percoco's wife $287,000 for a low-show job in exchange for Percoco's influence over state officials, prosecutors said. The company was seeking a power purchase agreement from the state valued at $100 million.

COR Development, a Syracuse developer, paid Percoco $35,000 to help release millions of dollars in state funds for ongoing development projects in central New York, prosecutors said. Percoco also facilitated a raise for a COR executive's son who was then working in Cuomo's office.

Prosecutors had also brought extortion charges against Percoco as part of the scheme, but he was found not guilty of those claims in a split verdict.

Steven Aiello, an executive at COR, was also found guilty as part of the arrangement. He will be sentenced in late November. Peter Galbraith Kelly Jr., a former executive at CPV, pleaded guilty to his involvement in May. He is scheduled for sentencing in October.

Percoco, in a letter last week, apologized to Caproni for the actions that led to his conviction in March. He said he has “tremendous remorse for my actions and regret for the damage I have caused others.” He also briefly apologized for his actions in court on Thursday.

His trial has become a frequent talking point in this year's campaign for governor, but in last Thursday's primary election it didn't seem to have made much of an impact. Cynthia Nixon, the actress and education advocate who challenged Cuomo, invoked Percoco's name frequently on the campaign trail. But Cuomo cruised to renomination with more than 65 percent of the vote, defeating Nixon.

READ MORE:

Prosecutors Seek Forfeiture of Money Paid to Bribe Ex-Cuomo Aide

Former Top Cuomo Aide, Convicted on Bribery Charges, Apologizes for His Actions in Letter to Sentencing Judge

Jury Convicts Ex-Aide to Cuomo on 3 Counts in Bribery Case, Clears Him on 3 Others