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Sandy Annabi, 42, is scheduled to report by 2 p.m. to the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Conn., a minimum security prison for female offenders.
Annabi’s political mentor and former city Republican party leader Zehy Jereis, 40, is also expected to surrender to U.S. Marshalls on Monday to begin serving a four-year sentence for his role in the scandal. The Journal News is reporting that he is expected to plead guilty to fraud Monday.
The pair, found guilty in March of several conspiracy, extortion and bribery charges, was sentenced in November by U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon in Federal Court in Manhattan.
During their trial, prosecutors said Jereis, the city’s former GOP leader, paid Annabi nearly $200,000 to control her vote on the City Council, specifically the controversial Ridge Hill development and the failed attempts to turn the former Longfellow School into upscale housing.
Prosecutors linked expensive items that Annabi bought, like a Rolex watch, a diamond necklace and an airline ticket to Jordan, to the bribe payments from Jereis.
In addition the other counts, Annabi was also convicted of one additional corruption charge, three counts of making a false statement to a bank and two counts of filing false tax returns. Jereis was charged with one additional charge of making corrupt payments.
Last week, Annabi’s last-minute request to delay the start of her sentence while she contests the conviction was denied by the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
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