Hynes faces threat to legacy
Charles “Joe” Hynes broke onto the national scene in the 1980s as the special prosecutor appointed by then-Gov. Mario Cuomo to investigate a notorious racial attack in Howard Beach, Queens.
In the decades that followed, Hynes established himself as a respected fixture as Brooklyn’s district attorney. But a recent wave of bad publicity — an election defeat after six terms, the recent voiding of wrongful convictions won on his watch and a corruption investigation into his use of criminal forfeiture funds — is threatening Hynes’ legacy.
Federal and state authorities are investigating allegations that Hynes funneled more than $200,000 in forfeiture money from drug and other criminal investigations into his failed re-election campaign. The probe was prompted by a scathing report by the city’s Department of Investigation that concluded the misuse of funds could amount to larceny.
“It’s a very depressing thing to see someone who had been a courageous prosecutor have things come to an end like this,” said Kenneth Sherrill, a retired politics professor at Hunter College. “You really have to ask, how could an old pro like Hynes screw up this badly?”