Norman Seabrook has to serve sentence in prison: judge

Crooked ex-union boss Norman Seabrook won’t be serving his 58-month prison term for bribery at home, a Manhattan federal judge ruled on Wednesday.

Seabrook’s lawyer had made the request in November due to concerns he could catch the coronavirus in lockup — but then a photo surfaced of him without a mask while out with his pals amid the pandemic.

US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein wrote that Seabrook’s compassionate release motion was premature as he had to first be an inmate.

“Because Seabrook has not begun to serve his sentence, he is unable to satisfy the requirement that he first exhaust his administrative remedies by making an application to the Bureau of Prisons,” wrote Hellerstein, adding that Seabrook could renew the motion once in custody. He’s slated to surrender March 30, 2021.

The judge did not mention the damning shot of the former head of the Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association standing shoulder to shoulder with friends — none of whom are wearing a mask.

The prosecution’s filing opposing Seabrook’s bid for home detention included two letters from victims insisting he serve time and not use the virus as an excuse.

In retiree Eric Golub’s letter, he attached two photos of a maskless Seabrook partying with friends that he said were taken in the last six months.

Seabrook’s lawyer, Roger Adler, said one of the photos was taken in 2016 prior to the pandemic.

Seabrook was sentenced last year after he was convicted at trial of conspiracy and honest services fraud in what prosecutors have called “one of the more infamous bribery schemes in the recent history of New York City.”

In exchange for $60,000 stuffed into a Ferragamo bag, he agreed to invest $20 million of his union’s pension money with a shady hedge fund, Platinum Partners, which went bust. The bad deal cost retirees $19 million.

Seabrook, 60, is a heavy cigar and cigarette smoker who suffers from numerous health conditions, according to court filings.