New York state Comptroller Alan Hevesi could resign this week to end a criminal probe into his use of state workers to chauffeur his wife, several newspapers in New York said Thursday. Hevesi spokesman Jeffrey Gordon declined to comment on the news reports, which appeared in at least four newspapers. A spokeswoman for Albany County District Attorney David Soares, who is conducting the investigation, could not be immediately reached for comment.The Democratic comptroller is expected to step down and plead guilty to an unspecified charge as part of a plea bargain with Soares, according to unnamed sources cited in the reports, which appeared in The Daily News, the New York Post, The New York Sun and the Albany Times Union. Soares was seeking an indictment on a charge of defrauding the government, a felony that carries an up to four-year prison term, according to the reports.
Hevesi became embroiled in a scandal after his little-known Republican challenger in the November election questioned whether the comptroller was using state employees to chauffeur his ailing wife without reimbursing the state. Hevesi admitted that, but said his actions were prompted by security concerns for his wife. He has repeatedly apologized and reimbursed the state over $200,000, more than twice what he originally estimated he owed the state.