Former Parkway Head Arrested In Kruger Sting

In the midst of a push to reopen Parkway Hospital in Forest Hills, the former top executive at the hospital was arrested on Thursday, caught up in a bribery sting involving state Sen. Carl Kruger, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Dr. Robert Aquino, who spent years fighting to keep Parkway Hospital from closing, and since its closure, fighting to reopen it, was arrested and charged with bribing the state senator in 2008.

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, after the arrests were announced, expressed anger and consternation at the sheer number of state officials who have been tied up in bribery and corruption incidents.

"Today's complaint filed in Manhattan Federal Court describes a broad-based bribery racket reflecting an unholy alliance of politicians, lobbyists, and businessmen," Bharara said. "Every single time we arrest a state Senator or Assemblyman, it should be a jarring wake-up call. Instead, it seems that no matter how many times the alarm goes off, Albany just hits the snooze button. Maybe this time they will get the message."

FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Janice Fedarcyk said, "The [criminal] complaint lays out a roadmap of bribery, money laundering, influence-peddling and official misconduct that is eye-opening even to seasoned investigators. The web of graft and corruption, of buying and selling influence, is not what representative democracy is supposed to look like."

In the complaint, Aquino is alleged to have paid $60,000 to one of a pair of shell companies set up by Kruger, in exchange for his help in 2008 lobbying to allow then-open Parkway Hospital to purchase to other Queens medical centers.

The plan, though widely publicized at the time, never came to fruition. Since the hospital's closure, Aquino has been aggressive in trying to reopen the facility, including writing a letter to Gov. David Paterson during the last month of his term to convince him to restore the hospital's operating certificate.

John Krall, a friend of Aquino who has been pushing the community to allow Parkway to reopen, said the arrest will certainly be a curveball, but that ultimately, Aquino is not necessary to reopening the facility.

“There’s a building there that still can be a hospital,” Krall said. “The politicians shouldn't run for the hills, because this was never about Aquino.”

Krall also maintained Aquino's innocence.

"I honestly think it's a witch hunt to discredit him even more, but again, I'm a friend. Here's the thing: if he basically turned down help from Seminerio, why would he then recruit help from somebody else?"

Former Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio died in prison recently, serving time after his arrest on corruption charges.