Ex-Rikers Union President Pleads Not Guilty

Norman Seabrook, the longtime head of the Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association, speaking in a loud, clear voice at his arraignment Friday, pleaded "absolutely not guilty" to criminal corruption charges.

Seabrook is under indictment for allegedly steering $20 million in union money to a struggling hedge fund in exchange for a $60,000 kickback — and the promise of more in the future. Outside the federal courthouse in Manhattan, Seabrook reiterated his innocence to a throng of reporters.

“Absolutely not guilty. No question about it. We will be vindicated. God is a good God. Thank you so much,” he said before getting into a waiting car.

Seabrook’s co-defendant, hedge fund-operator Murray Huberfeld, also pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors told U.S. District Court Judge Andrew L. Carter they have a mound of evidence, including wiretaps from four cellphones, several thousand emails, union and hedge-fund documents, and other material seized during the execution of a search warrant.

Seabrook and Huberfeld are scheduled to be back in court for a conference on Nov. 4. Their case is part of a broader corruption investigation by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York that's also ensnared top NYPD officials and political donors for Mayor Bill de Blasio.