Associated Press
NEW YORK -- Legal experts say the next few days and weeks could be the most dangerous yet for the embattled administration of Gov. David Paterson.
There has been a whirlwind of speculation this month that either Paterson, his staff or state police officials could face charges of witness tampering or obstructing justice over their handling of a domestic violence case involving one of the governor's top aides.
But ultimately, the greater legal hazard to Paterson and members of his team may be the temptation to be less than truthful with investigators from the state attorney general's office now inquiring about the matter.
"That is the number one concern," said former Albany County prosecutor Paul DerOhannesian.
"The attorney general is interviewing people under oath," he said. If subjects of the inquiry lie about anything, even minor details, they could face a perjury charge, he said.
The veteran Bronx defense attorney, Murray Richman, said if he were advising the governor in the case, he would tell him to invoke the Fifth Amendment and not answer any questions.
"They are going to get someone in a lie, and it's going to come back and bite someone," he predicted Friday.
Attorney General Andrew Cuomo launched an investigation a week ago into the Paterson administration's dealings with a woman who had accused his top aide of assaulting her in their home on Oct. 31.
Sherr-una Booker said Paterson staffer David Johnson choked her, ripped off her Halloween costume and pushed her into a mirror. No arrest was made, but Booker sought a court order requiring Johnson to stay away. She told court officials that in the days after the altercation, "the state troopers kept calling and harassing me to drop the charges."
Paterson himself ultimately spoke with Booker. A day after that call, she didn't show up for a scheduled court appearance and the protective order she had sought was vacated.
