federal district court uniondale, summer 1988. sat shoulder to shoulder with my 20-year-old nephew michael. struck by his resemblance to jfk junior, and also to my brother at the same age. jet black hair, large dark eyes, and a dazzling kind smile. michael and i listened to federal prosecutors layout their case against his father and my brother. earlier that morning governor mario cuomo had called me at home. after three years of working nearly round-the-clock with cuomo at the two world trade center office in new york, even sleeping over during snowstorms, i was now his met at the long island power authority laboring long hours to shut down the nuclear power plant for health and safety reasons. you do good work, steve, the governor said. you have great, great ability and a great future. it's a pleasure working with you. well, you have a pretty good picture yourself, governor, i said. no, i have no future, steve. he joked. but you, he said in a serious almost fatherly tone, you had a wonderful future. 90 minutes later that bright

federal district court uniondale number 1998, i sat shoulder to shoulder with my 22-year-old nephew michael striked by resemblance of jfk, jr. and also to my brother at the same age. jet-black hair, large black eyes and dazzling kind smile. michael and i listened to federal prosecutors lay out their case against his father and any brother. earlier that morning, governor mario cuomo had called me at home after three years of working nearly round the clock with cuomo with the governors at the two world trade center offices in new york. laboring long hours, shut down the power plant for health and safety reasons. you did good work, steve, the governor said, you have great, great ability and a great future. it's a pleasure working with you. well, you have a pretty good future yourself, governor, i said. oh, no, i have no future, steve, cuomo, joked, but you in a serious almost fatherly tone, you have a wonderful future. 90 minutes later that collided with my brother's present. i was hearing in a federal courtroom prosecutors asking fbi agent if it was true that my brother was a bad guy opinion

i brother was sent for three months of tax evasion today in federal court in uniondale.he reporters were present one of whom i anticipate there will be a story in the paper, so i don't want you to learn of this secondhand. i read over my little speech with my hands trembling. there was no escaping now. no rationalization. i couldn't pretend that everything would be as it was. the phone on my desk rang. it was the governor. i placed the script in front of me hanging on to this like a life preserver. hello, governor, i said shaking. what's going on thomas, he said as he usually did. i read my script word for word. the governor was silent. i finished, closed my eyes and waited for mario's responds with my heart pounding. i don't see how it could affect you, he said without hesitation. i certainly feel for you, but i don't see how it affects you. you are a superb public official and i don't think it should have any effect on you. stunned, i look at the photograph on my office wall, the large photograph of the world trade center, the self-contained world by its gates each day