In 1987, he was convicted of Federal racketeering charges along with Rep. Mario Biaggi and Robert Garcia in connection with the Wedtech scandal.
[2] Simon became active in politics and held legislative positions as well as becoming a district leader for the Democratic Party in The Bronx.
[4] Throughout his career, he aligned himself with Stanley M. Friedman, a powerful Bronx political figure who had served as deputy mayor under Abraham Beame.
[4][6] Although Friedman held no elective office in his career, he controlled judicial appointments and advanced interests of politicians who supported him.
[4] The following year, after Bronx Borough President Robert Abrams was elected New York Attorney General, Friedman advanced Simon for the interim post.
With an increasing Latino population in the Bronx, José E. Serrano, a New York assemblyman and future Congressman, came within 4,000 votes of defeating him in the Democratic primary.
[12] A few weeks later, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Rudolph Giuliani announced an indictment against him for extortion, perjury, income tax evasion and obstruction of justice in connection after an investigation into Wedtech, a Bronx-based defense contractor.