New York, NY – A federal judge has indicated he’s unlikely to call New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg as a defense witness in a fraud trial next month.
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The case involves a city automated payroll technology project called CityTime.
Prosecutors say the project was “corrupted to its core” and cost taxpayers $600 million and more than $40 million in kickbacks.
The mayor had been subpoenaed by a lawyer for Mark Mazer, the lead defendant in the case.
The New York Times (http://nyti.ms/15rnLkV ) reports that Judge George Daniels said Tuesday he had not been persuaded that Bloomberg’s testimony was necessary.
The city has moved to quash the subpoena. It says the mayor’s testimony would divert attention from the real issues and risk turning his appearance into a sideshow.