Jasmin (file)
WHITE PLAINS – Former Spring Valley Mayor Noramie Jasmin was found guilty in federal court on Monday of engaging in a bribery scheme. The jury concluded she negotiated a 50 percent stake for herself in a development company and $5,000 in cash for the use of her office to obtain land and government approvals to construct a community center in the village.
Jasmin, 51, of Spring Valley, was found guilty of one count of mail fraud and one count of extortion. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. She is scheduled to be sentenced in August.
Jasmin accepted bribes from an undercover FBI agent and a cooperating witness working with the government on several occasions in exchange for official acts. The bribe scheme centered on the development of a community center in the Village of Spring Valley with construction costs expected to be at least $12 million.
In exchange for her vote in favor of the sale of land owned by the village to a company she believed was controlled by the undercover agent, she demanded a secret ownership stake in the company as well as an advance on her profits from the scheme and accepted $5,000 in cash.
In support of the scheme, Jasmin directed the undercover agent to find people to pose as bidders for the project so that the transaction would appear legitimate to the other members of the Spring Valley Village Board, who voted on the sale.
