Longtime Bruno associate takes the stand

Prosecutors called a long time business associate of Joe Bruno to the stand today as his Albany corruption trial concluded its first week.

Peter Ward leads the union for 22,000 hotel and restaurant workers in New York City. Almost immediately after taking union office, he rushed to Albany to lobby an important issue.

He was able to get a couple of minutes with Joe Bruno at the Capitol. Ward did not get the provision he was looking for, but soon received a phone call from Bruno asking that the union consider placing it's $800 million in pension money with the investment company Bruno was representing.

Ward testified he was uncomfortable about the conversation with Bruno.

John Cordo is a former Bruno staff attorney. He described the very negative reaction from New York City government officials after the Bruno led State Senate increased retirement benefits for corrections officers without making them negotiate for it.

Yesterday the officers union leader testified Bruno had asked that his investors service get a chance to manage the officer's annuity money

Then there's Leonard Fassler, the 4th witness to testify with a promise that what he says can't be used to charge him with a crime.

Fassler was involved in a complicated series of businesses. One common theme is that most of them paid thousands of dollars every month to Bruno for consulting services.

Exhibits used while Fassler was on the witness stand indicate Bruno held some of his business consulting meetings in his Senate Majority Leader's office.

For his various companies Fassler testified he asked Bruno about ethics clearance and was told he had it.