Gerard Terry apparently doesn’t live on the same planet that you and I live on. He obviously doesn’t believe that laws, rules and regulations that you and I must follow apply to him. Not only didn’t he file federal and state personal income tax returns for 15 years or pay any income taxes for all of those years, but he enlisted and coerced others to help him avoid being exposed and arrested for his criminal activities. As the Port Washington News story explains [as originally reported by Anton Media Group’s Great Neck Record and published in The Roslyn News], Terry, a lawyer, was disbarred in September 2017 after he pleaded guilty to criminal tax fraud. Months after his disbarment, Terry was observed apparently practicing law in Nassau County District Court in Hempstead. If it’s established that he actually did do that, Terry could face serious new criminal charges.
The Port News story tells us that “Terry was a stalwart in Nassau County politics for more than 25 years. He personally picked many of the men and women who became judges throughout the county and (he) played an integral role in every political race since the 1980s.” Isn’t that something? Do you think that Gerard Terry, this criminal miscreant, first gave us Judge Jon Kaiman and then Town Supervisor Jon Kaiman? Do you know of any other judges that Terry may have given us? Do you think that Gerard Terry gave us Judi Bosworth? I know that he gave us Deputy Town Clerk Concetta Terry (salary $100,000 a year, plus generous fringe benefits), who just happened to be his wife.
Speaking of Concetta Terry, I’ve never read anywhere how she has avoided the criminal income tax evasion charges that her husband has pleaded guilty to. If she filed married, but filed separate income tax returns for the 15 years that her husband didn’t file any returns and she paid her taxes for all of those years, then she is off the hook. But, I doubt that ever happened. Or, perhaps, the “innocent spouse rules” of the tax code were applied in her case, but how innocent can a $100,000 a year Deputy Town Clerk be?. If anyone knows how Mrs. Terry has avoided being prosecuted for income tax evasion, please let me know.
“Many of these elected officials describe Terry as a gifted attorney and honest man. New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli and Congressman Tom Suozzi are two of the officials who wrote letters. Jon Kaiman, former supervisor of the Town of North Hempstead, is another high-profile friend, who reached out to the judge.” Doesn’t that tell you something about debts owed by some of our highest elected officials and something about their judgment? Of course, I wouldn’t dare say that the Republican machine in the Town Of North Hempstead operates any differently.
Leniency for Gerard Terry? Al Capone, one of the most notorious criminals in American history, was convicted of evading far less income taxes than Gerard Terry evaded and for that, Big Al was sentenced to serve a long prison sentence on Alcatraz Island. Perhaps Alcatraz should be reopened for Gerard Terry and Terry should be given Big Al’s old cell?
I’ll close this message by quoting what the federal prosecutor, Artie McConnell, had to say about Gerard Terry. He said, “Terry has an extraordinary history of lying to government officials, filing false documents and using corporate shells and nominee accounts, and that Terry’s tax evasion schemes involved him abusing his various public positions and political influence to enlist others in his criminal endeavors.” If you should bump into Mr. DiNapoli or Mr. Suozzi or Mr. Kaiman, you might ask any of them how they could possibly plead for leniency, for someone described like Gerard Terry.
—Joel Katz
