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Mayor Bloomberg Talks Payroll Project Scandal

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he didn't pay enough attention to New York City's automated payroll project, which prosecutors say was tainted with fraud.

"Nobody paid as much attention to it as they should have -- from me on down," he said after a graduation ceremony at Gracie Mansion.

Bloomberg said much of the $600 million allegedly "stolen" from the CityTime project was not spent. He said the city expected to eventually recover a lot of it.

One company and 11 people have been charged in the fraud case. Prosecutors have said the project was "corrupted to its core."

Two people have pleaded guilty. Two are believed to have fled to India, and one has died. The rest maintain their innocence.

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(TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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