State Senator Efrain Gonzalez’s pending trial on fraud and corruption charges is still pending after pre-trial hearings were postponed twice in 2007.

In the fall of 2006, Gonzalez was charged with mail fraud. Three months later, federal authorities heaped on several more serious charges for allegedly bilking $423,000 in state funds and using the funds (mostly local grants, so-called member items, that were supposed to go to local organizations) to pay for his own personal expenses.

In March, Gonzalez’s lawyer, Murray Richman, said he needed more time to go through the mountains of evidence against his client and the judge postponed pretrial hearings, the precursor to a trial, until November. Then, in November, that date was pushed back again, this time until April.

Gonzalez has indicated he intends to run for office again next fall when he’s up for re-election, but rumors are swirling about who might replace him if he resigns or is convicted. Longtime Bronx politician Pedro Espada, Jr. recently moved to Bedford Park (Gonzalez territory) and said he wants to run for something, possibly the 33rd Senate District seat.