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Jump to full article: New York Times, 2006-08-26
Author: AL BAKER and TIMOTHY WILLIAMS
Intro: Efraín González Jr., one of the longest-serving Hispanic members of the State Senate, was indicted yesterday on federal charges of mail fraud, accused of using $37,000 from a nonprofit organization for personal expenses, including Yankees tickets and membership fees at a vacation club in the Dominican Republic.
Senator González, 58, who represents portions of the Bronx, surrendered to federal authorities yesterday morning and was released several hours later after posting $25,000 bail.
. . .
Mr. González has typically shunned the spotlight, and aides say he is more comfortable meeting people in informal settings than he is making speeches.
He has set up his own cigar company, using tobacco from the Dominican Republic, where it is grown from Cuban seeds. The company has yet to begin full-scale operations, but Mr. González sometimes hands out cigars as he works a room.
He has advised the government of the Dominican Republic, where his wife lives, on housing issues.
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