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Former Assemblyman Joe Errigo has died

Former Assemblyman Joe Errigo has died. He was 81 years old. He died at home on Monday.

His attorney, Joe Damelio, said that Errigo had been in home-hospice for at least a month. He had fallen earlier this year and broke his collarbone, and Damelio said his client suffered from cognitive issues as well.

There was a hearing earlier this year to talk about whether Errigo was mentally competent to stand trial in a federal fraud case, but due to his physical condition, that hearing could not be completed.

Errigo, a Republican, was first elected to the Assembly in 2000 for the 136th District and after redistricting, represented the 130th Assembly District. 

He did not seek re-election in 2010, but in 2016, he was picked by Republicans to run in the 133rd Assembly District, formerly held by Bill Nojay who died by suicide just before the primary  election. Errigo defeated Democratic candidate Barbara Baer that November.

Errigo was defeated in a Republican primary in 2018 by Marjorie Byrnes who went on to win the general election that year.

Errigo was later charged by federal authorities with participating in a bribery scheme, and the legal proceedings against him were delayed by his medical problems. Damelo said he will now submit paperwork to the court to have the charges dropped.

Randy Gorbman is WXXI's director of news and public affairs. Randy manages the day-to-day operations of WXXI News on radio, television, and online.