Joseph Louis Bruno was an American businessman and Republican politician from upstate New York.
30 Facts About Joseph Bruno
2.
Joseph Bruno was convicted of federal corruption charges in 2009, but his conviction was overturned on appeal and a subsequent retrial resulted in an acquittal.
3.
Joseph Bruno was born in Glens Falls, New York and grew up in a six-room cold water flat.
4.
Joseph Bruno served in the Korean War as an infantry sergeant.
5.
In 1966, Bruno was on the campaign staff of Governor Nelson Rockefeller, and from 1969 to 1974 he served as Special Assistant to Speaker of the Assembly Perry B Duryea.
6.
Joseph Bruno served as Chairman of the Rensselaer County Republican Committee from 1974 to 1977.
7.
Joseph Bruno was a member of the New York State Senate from 1977 to 2008, sitting in the 182nd, 183rd, 184th, 185th, 186th, 187th, 188th, 189th, 190th, 191st, 192nd, 193rd, 194th, 195th, 196th, and 197th New York State Legislatures.
8.
Joseph Bruno was elected Temporary President of the New York State Senate on November 25,1994, ousting the incumbent Ralph J Marino.
9.
LGBT people and groups pushed very hard for SONDA, and in late 2002, Joseph Bruno finally gave in; the bill passed the Senate and was signed into law by Governor Pataki.
10.
In 2005, Joseph Bruno proposed research into high-speed rail development in New York State as part of a plan to boost Upstate New York's economy.
11.
In December 2006, Joseph Bruno disclosed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had been looking into business associates of Joseph Bruno's who had received state grants.
12.
Joseph Bruno challenged New York State Governor Eliot Spitzer to restore the state's death penalty law.
13.
Joseph Bruno criticized the Governor's plan to issue driver licenses to illegal immigrants, claiming it was aimed at stuffing the ballot box with Democratic voters.
14.
Joseph Bruno's position became more tenuous in February 2008 after the special election loss of the heavily Republican 48th District in Watertown, which had formerly been held by Sen.
15.
The report stated that the Times Union request came after the story about Joseph Bruno's travels was published, and was "not consistent" with Spitzer administration claims that all it did was respond to a FOIL request.
16.
On June 23,2008, Joseph Bruno confirmed that he would not seek re-election in the fall of 2008.
17.
On June 24,2008, Joseph Bruno stepped down as "temporary president of the senate" and as Senate Majority Leader.
18.
On July 18,2008, Joseph Bruno resigned his New York State Senate seat.
19.
On January 23,2009, Joseph Bruno was indicted on eight federal corruption charges, including mail and wire fraud.
20.
The indictment alleged that between 1993 and 2006, Joseph Bruno was paid $3.2 million in consulting fees to use his position to do favors for entities with business before the state.
21.
On December 7,2009, Joseph Bruno was convicted of two counts of mail and wire fraud.
22.
Joseph Bruno was acquitted of five felony charges, and the jury hung on the eighth and final count of the indictment.
23.
In May 2013, Joseph Bruno's lawyers urged an appeals court to halt the planned retrial, claiming it would violate Joseph Bruno's right against double jeopardy.
24.
On May 16,2014, Joseph Bruno was acquitted on both remaining corruption charges.
25.
In 2009, Joseph Bruno was asked by Governor David Paterson to speak out for same-sex marriage in Albany.
26.
In October 2015, Joseph Bruno announced that he was contributing $1.4 million in unspent campaign funds to the New York State Senate Republican Campaign Committee, and donating $100,000 to a scholarship fund.
27.
Joseph Bruno's autobiography, Keep Swinging: A Memoir of Politics and Justice, was published by Post Hill Press in November 2016.
28.
Barbara Joseph Bruno died in 2008 after suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
29.
In September 2013, Joseph Bruno had successful surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his kidney.
30.
On October 6,2020, Joseph Bruno died at his home in Brunswick, New York after a lengthy battle with prostate cancer.