Sorta like stealing a grain of sand from a pristine Bermuda beach, no?

The consultant, John F. Haggerty Jr., 41, lied to Mr. Bloomberg and other aides by saying that he would spend the mayor's money, which was funneled through the state Independence Party, on Election Day ballot security and poll watching last November, said Cyrus R. Vance Jr., the Manhattan district attorney.

But Mr. Haggerty, who set up a company, Special Election Operations L.L.C., to execute the Election Day plan, spent $32,000, Mr. Vance charged, and kept about $750,000 for himself. The balance of the money, $450,000, went to the Independence Party.

About $600,000, Mr. Vance said, went toward Mr. Haggerty's purchase of his childhood home in Forest Hills Gardens, Queens. Mr. Haggerty even wrote out bogus checks from Special Election Operations, Mr. Vance charged, in an effort to cover up the crime.

What this story really shows, but doesn't actually talk about, is how common this sort of thing is in NY politics. It's a classic pay-to-play scheme.

The "consultant" agrees to provide ballot security and poll watching services, which are legal, though when's the last time you heard of voter intimidation one of the country's most diverse and accepting cities?

Because those services involve a lot of cash payments to local workers, it's tough to track whether the money has been spent properly.