JAMAICA — A high-ranking Queens state assemblywoman who allegedly went on shopping sprees with disgraced politician Shirley Huntley said her home was burglarized Monday night.
Assemblywoman Vivian Cook, 75, told DNAinfo New York that a burglar used a crowbar to break into into her Jamaica home around 9:30 p.m. and stole jewelry and papers.
"They had gone through dresser drawers. There were a lot of old papers lying in the floor," she said Wednesday, adding she had filed a report from the 113th Precinct.
The burglary comes at an odd time as Cook's pal, ex-state Sen. Huntley, is set to be sentenced in Brooklyn Federal Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to pocketing nearly $87,000 in taxpayer dollars from a sham education nonprofit. The cash reportedly funded lavish shopping trips for Huntley and Cook, who helped steer public money to the nonprofit, Parents Information Network.
After being busted, Huntley cooperated with federal investigators, wearing a wiretap to record other elected officials, according to court documents. Those recordings led to criminal investigations of eight people, including six elected officials. The names have been under seal in court but are expected to be revealed Wednesday afternoon.
Cook said as far as she knows, she isn't a target of any criminal probe and has not been contacted by federal investigators.
"They haven't called me yet," the assemblywoman said.
Cook said if Huntley recorded any of their conversations, she has nothing to hide.
"I'm not concerned about being recorded with her," she said.
A Democratic lawmaker with more than two decades in the state Legislature, Cook said she was in Albany during the burglary on Monday night. However, the break-in triggered a home alarm, and her cousin checked on her house.
The cousin didn't notice anything unusual at first, but responding cops found that the side of the front door had been torn up with a crowbar, Cook said.
The assemblywoman returned to her Jamaica home on Tuesday afternoon to survey the scene. She said a jewelry box had been emptied but she didn't know what was taken.
"It's been there so long, I can hardly tell you what is in it," Cook said.
