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By: Mario Mancini
Norman Seabrook, the disgraced former correction officer union boss, is set to have some of his personal belongings returned to him, including 10 pairs of Salvatore Ferragamo shoes.
These items were seized by federal authorities seven years ago when Seabrook was arrested as part of a corruption scheme. Along with the shoes, he will also receive $7,700 in cash, a laptop, a cellphone, and other personal effects that were taken from his Bronx home during the arrest in June 2016. Seabrook had been charged with accepting bribes, including $60,000 in cash that was found inside a Ferragamo bag, NY Post reported.
Last week, federal prosecutors agreed to return these possessions to Seabrook, following his release from a West Virginia prison in March 2023. He had served a 22-month sentence for his involvement in the corruption case.
However, he will not regain possession of the infamous $820 Ferragamo leather “murse” or man purse, as it was considered part of the bribe, he was found guilty of accepting in 2014. Additionally, a ruling by Manhattan federal Judge Alvin Hellerstein determined that Seabrook would not be returned the remaining $21,000 from the $60,000 bribe. This unspent amount will be used to offset the $19 million judgment that Seabrook was ordered to pay, along with two co-conspirators.
Judge Hellerstein’s ruling in 2021 stated that defendants are entitled to the return of their lawfully owned items if they are not considered contraband and are no longer needed as evidence by the government. Seabrook’s lawyer, Roger Adler, confirmed that the return of his client’s possessions was a routine agreement now that the case has concluded. Adler noted that the shoes, which can be valued at several hundred dollars per pair, belonged to Seabrook and were never used as evidence during the trial.
Seabrook, who served as the president of the Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association for 19 years, had accepted bribes from Murray Huberfeld, a co-conspirator, in exchange for directing $20 million of the union’s pension money into Huberfeld’s failing hedge fund, Platinum Partners.
This investment ultimately collapsed. Jona Rechnitz, a controversial donor associated with former Mayor Bill de Blasio, testified as a key prosecution witness against Seabrook, confirming that he had delivered the bribe in the form of the 2014 handbag at Huberfeld’s request.
Seabrook’s conviction came in 2018 after a second trial, as the initial trial in 2017 ended in a hung jury. During the retrial’s dramatic closing arguments, prosecutor Martin Bell visually demonstrated that the designer bag still had space by shoving stacks of $100 bills totaling $21,000 into it. This action aimed to address doubts about whether the full $60,000 bribe could fit inside the bag. Seabrook’s original sentence was nearly five years, but he was granted compassionate release under the “First Step Act” reform law, aligning his sentence more closely with Huberfeld’s 13-month term.
Seabrook was instrumental in pushing through the “Feces Bill” which made it a felony to throw feces at a corrections officer. Seabrook fought for deals, sometimes in unison with other city unions, including the Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York and the Uniformed Firefighters Association. Seabrook lobbied for corrections officers to gain parity with the NYPD and the FDNY in pay and benefits, NY Times reported.
While Seabrook will soon regain some of his personal belongings, the legal consequences of his actions continue.
