The former head of the Manhattan Republican Party was sentenced to five years’ probation on felony tax-evasion charges yesterday – but the ex-fund-raiser for Rudy Giuliani is still hoping to cast a vote in November’s elections.
At a hearing in Manhattan Supreme Court, James Ortenzio, 62, told Justice Laura Ward, “I acknowledge my mistakes” before she sentenced him to the probation term.
Ortenzio, who was a key backer and fund-raiser for Giuliani’s aborted Senate run in 2000, has admitted “knowingly and willingly” lying on his 2004 financial-disclosure statement.
At the sentencing, Ortenzio’s lawyer asked the judge if his client could apply for a certificate of relief from civil disabilities – a document that allows people convicted of felonies to vote.