Release Of Tape Excerpts Brings Promises Of Lawsuits

Frank Borelli and Dennis Malone who were secretly video and audio taped by Frank Sparaco in an alleged attempt to buy his influence both threatened Monday to sue the Rockland County legislator and part-time Clarkstown Highway Department employee. In a series of edited videotapes shown to the media, Borelli, a Clarkstown councilman, and Malone, the fleet manager of the highway department, along with Rockland County Democratic Committee attorney Larry Weissman were portrayed as trying to sway Sparaco to support Malone’s candidacy for highway superintendent.

Following Sparaco’s screening of the videos he secretly taped, Borelli issued a statement. 

“These highly edited snippets of conversations I had are an attempt to assassinate my character because I have put my loyalty to the families and taxpayers of Clarkstown over my loyalties to political parties, political bosses, elected officials and political hacks.” 

As a result, Borelli said he plans to take legal action for defamation of character against Sparaco. Malone also plans to file a civil defamation lawsuit.

“I am doing so because Frank Sparaco has maliciously edited tapes of the 30 minute conversation we had in such a way as to completely misrepresent the conversation and to damage me personally,” said Malone in a statement. “He did so because he knows that if I am elected Highway Superintendent I will eliminate his $75,000 a year no-show job and fire him.”    

Borelli said he decided he could not support Ballard, a fellow Republican, for re-election and thought Malone could do a better job. He said that show of independence led to him being targeted by the Republican Party.

“This is a political smear against me,” said Borelli. “Whatever you heard (on the tapes) was out of context.”

Borelli said the focus should be on Sparaco who got the part-time job as constituent services representative in the highway department in exchange for getting Ballard on the Independence Party line.

“Wayne Ballard gave Frank Sparaco a job. Frank Sparaco gave Wayne Ballard a party line,” said Borelli.  

Sparaco denied having the ability to get minor party lines.

“I have a sphere of influence. But I am not intricately involved in who gets what party lines,” insisted Sparaco. 

Sparaco said he went to the FBI approximately six to eight weeks ago with video and audio recordings. Malone said Sparaco is not the only one to have approached the FBI and that he spoke to an agent in October 2012 after Sparaco was appointed to find out if the hiring process and political appointment was legal. Malone said he did not hear back from the agent but now plans to follow up.

Malone challenged the credibility of the tapes saying only excerpts were played for the media and 75 percent of the conversation was not shared. He questioned why a meeting videotaped in March was publicly in July and why all the hours of recordings were not released.

“It’s just a whole scam to make me look bad so Wayne will win,” said Malone.

Sparaco claimed that he was offered a vacation in Florida or New Jersey and a guarantee that he could keep his job at the highway department along with a hefty raise and benefits if he helped Malone gain third party support and win the election as part of the scheme.

While Sparaco claimed the others had initiated the meetings, Borelli said Sparaco instigated a conversation with him. Malone said Sparaco asked for a meeting a number of times and called Weissman seeking one. He said he brought Borelli with him because he did not want to meet with Sparaco alone.

“I wouldn’t make a deal with Frank Sparaco,” said Malone. “I would rather die.”