Efrain Gonzalez

Who is Efrain Gonzalez?

Efrain Gonzalez Jr. was New York senator and convicted felon.

He was the Chair of the Minority Conference within the Senate, as well as Chairman Emeritus of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators, Chair of the New York State Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force. He is President of the National Hispanic Policy Institute. Gonzalez also serves on the Executive Committee of the Parliamentary Confederation of the Americas,.

Born in Coamo, Puerto Rico, Gonzalez's family moved to the United States shortly thereafter.

Prior to his election to the State Senate Gonzalez had worked as the Union Representative for the Transport Workers Union, and subsequently, the Union Representative for Local 820 of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters from 1969 until 1979 which was during his employment at Brinks Armored Car Service.

Senator Efrain Gonzalez was married on July 20, 1969 and has four children with his wife.

On August 25, 2006, it was disclosed that Senator Gonzalez had been indicted for mail fraud. He surrendered to federal authorities shortly after his indictment was unsealed, and was subsequently released on $25,000 bail following his arraignment.

According to the indictment, Gonzalez is accused of defrauding the West Bronx Neighborhood Association Inc., a not-for-profit corporation, by using funds donated to the organization in order to pay for over $37,000 in personal expenses. In December 2006, in a new Federal indictment that replaced the August indictment, he was charged with diverting over $400,000 meant for the community not-for-profit to personal expenses, including vacation homes in the Dominican Republic, homes for his wife, mistress, renovations to his mother-in-law's home, Yankees tickets and college tuition for his daughter. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison. He was defeated on September 9, 2008 in the Democratic Party primary by Pedro Espada.