Bruno guilty of two Federal corruption charges

A long and very American journey for Joe Bruno just hit another milestone — perhaps the darkest day in his career.

Born poor in Glens Falls, Bruno rose to the height of New York’s political power structure, controlling the state Senate from 1994 until 2007.

In January of this year, he was indicted on Federal corruption charges. This from the Albany Times-Union:

The 80-year-old Republican from Brunswick sat quietly as the jury of seven women and five men rendered its verdict about 4:15 p.m.: Guilty on two counts of mail and wire fraud. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on the final charge and it will be up to prosecutors to decide whether to retry that offense.

I met Bruno only a half dozen times or so over the last decade.

He was a larger-than-life political figure, who looked as comfortable on the back of a thoroughbred (he liked to ride in parades) as behind a desk.

All that is over now, barring a successful appeal. According to the New York Times, Bruno faces up to 20 years behind bars.

The larger story here is that Bruno’s criminality was — and is — the norm in Albany’s state Senate, where lawmakers mingle personal and private business to a stunning degree with only limited disclosure.

When will politicians learn that ethics laws serve to protect them (by sparing them temptation and a crooked environment) almost as much as the public?