In 1989 Gray had been reported to be under FBI investigation concerning alleged payroll padding.

A Federal trial in Brooklyn casts an embarrassing spotlight on payroll padding, Albany style.

They include labor racketeering, bribery, extortion, bid rigging, payroll padding, illegal disposal of hazardous waste and overcharging for labor, equipment and materials.

The Associated Press late tonight quoted an unnamed source as saying the inquiry involved allegations of payroll padding: a "no-show employee" being kept on Mr. Gray's payroll.

No holds were barred in their purge of Republicans and payroll padding with Democrats.

Amid indictments and investigations, the New York State Legislature has changed longstanding employment practices that encouraged payroll padding and blurred responsibility for hiring decisions.

By any reasonable standard, the brazen payroll padding alleged in the Ohrenstein case falls outside any gray area in the law; it's outright stealing.

Arguments in Defense Others say Chicago is so used to politicians operating at the margins that payroll padding is hardly worth mentioning.

That investigation, the commission's report indicated, uncovered payroll padding, misappropriation of funds, and fraud by individuals and companies doing business with New Jersey Transit.

One scandal followed another-Walton's questionable administrative practices included payroll padding, jailhouse pardons, removal of college administrators, and an enormous increase in the governor's salary.