Former Nassau Deputy County Executive Gets 18 Months In Prison

NASSAU COUNTY, NY — Former Chief Deputy County Executive Rob Walker, who worked for former County Executive Edward Mangano, was sentenced to 18 months in prison today for obstruction of justice. He will also have to pay more than $10,000 in fines and perform 2,000 hours of community service.

Walker, 43, of Hicksville, pleaded guilty to the charges against him in May 2019.

“While occupying an important position of public trust, Walker accepted illicit payments from a contractor, encouraged the contractor to commit perjury before a federal grand jury and lied to the FBI to cover up his crimes,” stated United States Attorney Breon Peace. “This office will prosecute corrupt officials like Walker who seek to obstruct justice and abuse the public trust.”

In 2014, Walker, who was working for County Executive Mangano, took a $5,000 bribe from a contractor who was doing work for the county. In 2017, Walker learned that the US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, as well as the FBI, had opened up a grand jury investigation of corruption in Nassau County government, including the bribe he accepted.

Walker spoke to the contractor several times to try to persuade him to hide information about the bribe from the grand jury, or lie about the nature of the payment. Walker met the contractor in a park in Hicksville and gave him an envelope with $5,000 cash, trying to make it look like the payment Walker took never happened.

When he was later interviewed by the FBI about the money, Walker denied ever having received any cash from the contractor.

In recorded conversations, Walker repeatedly said the grand jury wouldn't have to be told about the payment if he gave it back to the contractor.