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State Sen. Jose Peralta Says He's 'Not A Target' of Federal Probe

 State Sen. Jose Peralta said he is not a target of a probe started by Shirley Huntley's wire recordings.
State Sen. Jose Peralta said he is not a target of a probe started by Shirley Huntley's wire recordings.
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QUEENS — State Sen. Jose Peralta said on Thursday that he is "not a target" of a federal probe that allegedly began after disgraced ex-State Sen. Shirley Huntley secretly recorded seven elected officials in her South Jamaica home last summer.

Peralta, who is running for Queens borough president, said Wednesday that he had not engaged in any wrongdoing, and on Thursday he released a statement saying he has spoken the federal investigators.

“I have been assured by the U.S. Attorney’s office that I am not a target of their inquiry," Peralta said.

“The corruption charges filed over the past several weeks against members of the state legislature and City Council have shaken confidence in the political system," Peralta added. “The way to restore the public’s faith in government is through the honorable, dedicated and committed service it deserves and should expect of its elected representatives.”

The U.S. Attorney's office declined to comment on Peralta's statement.

According to court documents, Huntley met with federal agents over a period of six months. She agreed to wear a wire and record nine officials, including Peralta, in her home last summer, luring each of them by faking a broken foot, sources said.

In addition to Peralta, others caught on the Huntley tapes include State Sens. Eric Adams, Ruth Hassell-Thompson, John SampsonMalcolm Smith and Velmanette Montgomery; Councilman Ruben Willis; Melvin Lowe, a former consultant for state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman; and Curtis Taylor, a former press advisor to Smith, according to court documents.

None of them have been arrested or accused of any wrongdoing.

Court documents revealed that eight of the nine officials recorded were targets of investigations, though investigators did not reveal who was being targeted. 

On Wednesday, Wills said in a statement that investigators also told him he was "not the target of any investigation arising from proceedings involving Shirley Huntley."

Huntley was sentenced to one year in prison on Thursday for siphoning money from a sham nonprofit. She was facing 18 to 24 months, but the judge cited her cooperation with investigators and her family's health problems as the reason for a shorter sentence.