Saturday Night Paterson, What Gambling Fix, Witness Tampering , Free Yankee Tickets

David Paterson Blames Poor Approval Ratings on‘Saturday Night Live’(NYO) Former Gov. David Paterson said that his popularity ratings slid as a result of Saturday Night Live sketches that made fun of his visual impairment. Much larger problems than comedy sketches beset Mr. Paterson’s almost-three-year tenure, including questions over the awarding of a contract for slot machines at the Aqueduct Race Track in Queens to a company tied to the rapper Jay Z—a friend to the former governor—his interference in a police investigation into a staffer’s domestic abuse incident and his use of his position to obtain free tickets to the 2009 World Series. The last incident resulted in a state ethics commission fining him more than $60,000 in 2010, and the series of scandals led to Mr. Paterson not running for a full term that year. * The state’s Public Integrity Commission fined former Gov. David Paterson $62,000 for taking free World Series tickets last year from the Yankees,

the Post reports Paterson’s payday, for a ‘public relations problem’(Capital) Former Governor David Paterson was paid at least $386,000 in 2013 to consult for various interest groups, including $50,000 to help a Republican-linked firm handle a “public relations problem” for one of its clients, records show. Paterson, the recently named chairman of the Democratic state committee, was paid between $50,000 and $75,000 from Mercury LLC, according to a 2013 financial disclosure form, filed with the state's ethics watchdog. The communications firm was founded by Pataki administration veterans, who along with Paterson were tight-lipped on the exact nature of Paterson's consulting.Chin Campaign paid Mercury over 100,000 *In 2013 Mercury Public Affairs, which was running an independent spending campaign funded by billionaire David Koch and others boosting Mr. de Blasio's general-election opponent, Republican Joseph Lhota. * David Paterson Gets an All-Clear from Judith Kaye. David Johnson, Not.

Albany’s latest stench(NYP Ed) Reports of political rot in Albany keep a-comin’ — with revelations this week by The Post of probes of top Democrats in a sleazy deal that, by his own admission, even ensnared ex-Gov. David Paterson.For starters, the feds are investigating whether state Sens. John Sampson and Malcolm Smith and others were involved in a scheme to steer a multibillion-dollar contract to a politically juiced firm, AEG, to run a racino at Aqueduct Race Track. And on Wednesday, the ex-gov admitted that he backed AEG for political reasons — as opposed to what was best for the state. Paterson said he sided with Sampson because he wanted to help the “vulnerable” Democratic majority leader. Yet the AEG plan involved folks with shady backgrounds and clearly should’ve been shot down. Smith, by the way, is also a subject of the broader inquiry. Meanwhile, Paterson’s admission of his own sordid role in the affair is just more evidence of his lack of fitness — to put it mildly — for the position he accidentally acquired. — although he knew that some of AEG’s partners had checkered pasts. Paterson said Sampson was a “vulnerable” new majority leader with a razor-thin majority. “He [Sampson] said he needs this a lot,” Paterson said of the AEG franchise. “And I went along with it.” * Pay to Play Albany Slots Capping a flawed selection process, Gov. Paterson yesterday picked a business consortium tied to friend and former Democratic Rep. Floyd Flake to build a slot-machine casino at the Aqueduct Racecourse in Queens.Playing faves Gov pulls 'win' lever for friend * Soon After Paterson Meeting the Meeting With Flake Was Pick Up By the Newspaper He Drop Out of the Governors Race Gov. David Paterson drops election bid; announcement expected(NYT,Feb 26, 2010 *Paterson admits he OK’d ‘tainted’ casino firm to help then-state Senate Majority Leader John Sampson(NYP)* Sheldon Silver on hot seat over racino bid as e-mails track money to political committee(NYP)

Back to the Future: State's Gambling Bid Investigated Again

AG Investigating New State Gambling Bidding Process, Conflict of Interests Again

New York Attorney General Is Said to Review Casino BiddingProcess (NYT) The state attorney general’s office has opened a preliminary inquiry into the process by which three projects were recently recommended for new casino licenses, according to two former bidders who were later contacted by investigators. Jeffrey M. Gural, whose bid to build a full-scale casino at his racetrack casino in Nichols, N.Y., was rejected in December, said he met with a representative of Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman’s office last week. Gural said he did express concern to the investigator about a potential conflict of interest between a winning bidder and a casino consulting firm used by the board that recommended new licenses to the State Gaming Commission.

James Featherstonhaugh, a lobbyist from the Albany area who was involved with two other losing bids, also confirmed on Monday that state investigators had contacted members of his projects in recent weeks about the selection process.* AG Schneiderman investigating Cuomo over casino selections (NYDN) State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has opened a new front in his feud with Gov. Cuomo — the awarding of casino licenses. In December, state gaming officials awarded casino licenses to bidders from the Catskills, Schenectady and the Finger Lakes region. The Finger Lakes award infuriated Gural and officials in the Southern Tier, who argued their region was more in need of an economic boost.

Lobbyists Sheinkopf Took the 5th in the AEG Investigation

Sheinkopf took the 5th when asked questions by the NY former state Inspector General Joseph Fisch about the AEG scandal which is still being investigated by the feds as part of the AEG investigation. The Feds are also investigating a Board Of Election (the cesspool of political corruption) contract for new machines that Sheinkopf was a lobbyist for.

The AEG Bidding Process

Probers cry, ‘WTF?’ at gov’s top-aide pick

By Fredric U. Dicker

July 11, 2011 | 4:00am

Probers cry, ‘WTF?’ at gov’s top-aide pick

BOOO! Gourmet grocer Union Market advertises "antibiotic free" beef, but allegedly orders run-of-the-mill cuts of meat.Photo: Gabriella Bass

ALBANY — Gov. Cuomo’s choice of senior adviser Lawrence Schwartz, onetime top aide to bumbling Gov. David Paterson, as his new chief-of-staff has stunned some investigators because of Schwartz’s role in the explosive AEG-Aqueduct casino bid-rigging scandal.

Schwartz was criticized for his role in the debacle last fall in a scathing state inspector general’s report.

“Schwartz incred[ibly] claimed to not recall myriad meetings he organized and attended, various e-mail correspondence between himself and other individuals, and numerous conversations in which he engaged, and claimed unawareness of the governor’s selection of AEG despite personally engaging the governor’s press office in a colloquy about the very subject,” the report found.

“One wonders why the governor, who has such a stellar record, would make such an appointment, given the questions raised in the IG’s report,” said a law-enforcement source with knowledge of the AEG investigation.

Cuomo spokesman Josh Vlasto insisted that “Larry had no involvement whatsoever” in awarding a contract that, because of allegations of improper conduct by several individuals, including Paterson, Counsel Peter Kiernan, and senior members of the Legislature, was canceled and remains under federal investigation.

Cuomo administration insiders said the unelected Paterson bore most of the responsibility for the bidding mess, in part because Paterson hoped that by backing politically connected AEG, he would win support for his planned effort to hold on to office by defeating then-Attorney General Cuomo in a Democratic primary for governor.

But Paterson eventually dropped out of the race after he became involved in an unrelated scandal involving alleged efforts to pressure a Bronx woman not to file assault charges against one of his top aides.

Cuomo has described Schwartz as a tough, honest and hardworking strategist who played a key role in several of the governor’s major legislative successes — including passage of the gay-marriage bill and approval of a new state budget that cut spending and didn’t raise taxes.

Meanwhile, besides winning Cuomo’s confidence during the past six months, Schwartz has earned the nickname “BB” — as in “big balls” — from Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan), for how he deals with the Legislature.

Should Smith Hire Body Guards?

AEG Investigation Explodes

The inquiry focusing on Sampson stems from a broader federal probe into Queens Democratic Congressman Gregory Meeks

Fundraising and AEG

Feds launch probe into former NY state Senate Majority Leader John Sampson (NYP) The feds have launched a criminal probe of former state Senate Democratic Majority Leader John Sampson of Brooklyn, Shady real-estate broker Edul Ahmad is the common link that drew the feds from Meeks to Sampson, said sources familiar with the investigation. But his sentencing date has not been scheduled and the defendant is now cooperating with the feds and possibly singing about Meeks and Sampson, sources said.Sampson was questioned by two FBI agents who stopped him by surprise on a Brooklyn street outside his gym late last summer, sources told The Post. * Feds eye Brooklyn Sen. John Sampson in corruption probe (NYDN) Real estate agent Edul Ahmad, guilty of mortgage fraud, told federal authorities about payments he made to Sampson after the powerful Democrat claimed he needed money, sources said.

Of the Dozens of Reporters Who Have Put Sheinkropf in their Articles or TV Reporst Not One Has Asked Him About taking the 5th in 2007

The Press did not even question Sheinkropf or mayoral candidate Thompson who hired him as a consultant a couple of weeks ago. Sheinkropf took the 5th 56 times when the NYS questioned him about the AEG bidding process. Sheinkopf took the 5th when asked questions by the NY former state Inspector General Joseph Fisch about the AEG scandal
The press in a group has drop their prime mission of protecting the public by informing them of what is going on in their city, in exchange for the one lines and sound bites the consultant gives them. The FBI investigation of Sampson involvement of the AEG bidding process is just one of the places that Sheinkropf turns up in criminal investigations. The Feds are also investigating a Board Of Election (the cesspool of political corruption) contract for new machines that Sheinkopf was a lobbyist for. Feds investigate switch by Board of Elections ... - New York Post There is a lot more in areas like pensions and HUD corrupt where Sheinkropf name appears. Former Village Voice reporter Wayne Barrett best described how Sheinkopf operates "Sheinkopf makes kings so he can then make deals with the kings he’s made."

List of reporters who have interview Sheinkopf Since He Took the 5th and Never Asked Him About Taking the 5th Coming - (list in formation)

Celeste Katz (NYDN), Azi Paybarah (Capital), DANNY HAKIM (NYT), Chriss Blagg (CrainsNY), Grace Rauh (NY1) Kenneth Lovett (NYDN), WCBS TV, Gabe Pressman (NBC), Courtney Gross (NY1), Fred Dicker (NYP), Maggie Haberman (Politico), Marcia Kramer (WCBS), Joe Bartlett (WOR), Sam Roberts (NYT), Jill Colvin (DNAINFO)

A source familiar with the Sampson case said the agents initially could have been looking to flip Sampson and get him to cooperate against Meeks or even a target of some other investigation. A bombshell report by the state inspector general in 2010 slammed Sampson for tainting the bidding process in the award of a contract to run the Aqueduct casino in Queens. Sampson, then the majority leader, was fingered for leaking a confidential bidding document to the lobbyist for the politically connected firm AEG, which subsequently won the contract. The state yanked the billion-dollar contract from AEG when the Inspector General’s Office launched its probe. Sampson claimed the bidding document was public information and he insisted he did nothing wrong. More on AEG

Andrew Cuomo Goes to Albany, Where Lobbyists Are Waiting(Village Voice)

Fisch told the Voice that the awarding of this contract to AEG was “a tribute to the unbridled power of lobbyists.” While AEG competitors, said Fisch, “had the financial resources, experience and the support of the licensing and financial professionals, AEG had the right lobbyists.” That, he concludes, “proved to be all they needed.”
Two of the lobbyists accused in the IG report of fixing the Democratic senate - Carl Andrews and Hank Sheinkopf - flouted the probe, with Andrews unsuccessfully suing to block subpoenas and appealing right up to the report’s release, and Sheinkopf taking the fifth amendment. Incredibly, their refusal to cooperate with a state probe of the award of one state contract has no effect on their ability to seek another. There are no qualifications or standards for this job, and you can keep it even if the state’s Public Integrity Commission (PIC) finds that you violated the lobbying laws. All you have to do is find a client willing to pay you.
Andrews hosted a victory dinner in his Albany house right after AEG won the bid, and Smith and Sampson and five other legislators, including Manhattan county leader Keith Wright, joined company brass at an event Andrews invoiced for $1,562. The night before Governor Paterson announced the award, Andrews and AEG executives lit a victory cigar at the Havana Club with Al Sharpton, whose NAN had just collected $100,000 in AEG contributions, ostensibly tied to their belief that the Rev was whispering to Paterson on their behalf. A former state senator himself, Andrews held a top executive title in the Spitzer and Paterson administrations until a scandal about his apparent efforts to influence a decision of the State Liquor Authority forced him from office (the IG eventually concluded that Andrews’ top aide had to be fired).
But, like Mel Miller and others in Albany, Andrews has found that scandal can be a stepping stone, prospering even after his mentor, Brooklyn Democratic boss and assemblyman Clarence Norman, was convicted in three separate felony cases. Andrews attracted clients like AEG from the moment he threw up a shingle in 2009, also recruiting A.L. Eastmond & Sons, the Bronx boiler firm that allegedly paid City Councilman Larry Seabrook $50,000 to rig a Yankee Stadium subcontract. He also represents the Marcus Garvey Nursing Home, a much-probed, state-supported, Brooklyn residence that remained the biggest giver to Norman’s re-election committee in 2009, four years after he surrendered his assembly post.
Charged by the IG with getting a confidential senate memo from Sampson and playing a key role in tilting Sampson in AEG’s direction, Andrews’ relationship with Sampson is described by the IG as “a wellspring of ethical issues.” E-mails from AEG executives revealed that a day after Andrews got the secret memo comparing bids, they decided to boost his monthly stipend by $2,500 to $10,000, calling him “our most important” of seven lobbyists. But they also decided to pay him only half of the amount he was due right away. “By delaying payment #2,” one executive wrote, referring to a second $10,000 stipend, “he can’t release the senate.” It is such a statement of perceived power that Andrews, who has survived so many grand juries he may think they’re grand, is apparently trying again to wait out this storm as well and perhaps turn the findings into a flyer for his services.
Sheinkopf copped a memo, too, obtaining it from an aide to the top Senate staffer, Angelo Aponte, who Sheinkopf personally installed in the key spot. He had the power to do that because the skillful Sheinkopf doubles as a lobbyist and as a political consultant, and had advised Senate Democrats in the elections that led to the 2008 majority, helping to make Malcolm Smith majority leader. Sheinkopf collected $356,741 in consulting fees from the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee at the same time that he was representing AEG and its precursor with Senate Democrats. Having worked for Bill Thompson and Mike Bloomberg most recently, Sheinkopf makes kings so he can then make deals with the kings he’s made. He became a regular on CNN over recent years, appearing as an expert so often he started to believe he was one.
2/11/2013

In September 2007 - New York State Office of the Inspector General Report

Something Happening Here: Third AEG Story in Last 2 Week

The #nysenate never released its promised review of the AEG bidding scandal; no one knows where it is (by @JamesMOdato) Follow Up: Senate racino report hasn't surfaced(TU) In October 2010, Senate Democratic Leader John Sampson promised an in-house examination of the involvement of senators in what had become a tainted bidding process to find a developer for the Aqueduct racino in Queens.After a probe, the state Inspector General's Office in 2010 criticized the actions of several Senate Democrats, including Sampson, in the ill-fated selection of Aqueduct Entertainment Group for the Aqueduct racino. Sampson declared that he would "commence an immediate internal review to develop recommendations for better coordinating external communications with advocates and lobbyists." Then-Senate Minority Leader Dean Skelos called for hearings into the AEG bid award, because of concerns about favoritism. Skelos did not schedule hearings when the Republicans regained control of the Senate in 2011 two months after the inspector general's report. "The Inspector General produced a blistering report on the role the Senate Democrats played in steering this contract to AEG, and had already referred the matter to the appropriate law enforcement agencies for their review

2/2/2013
Elected Officials and Their Friends Hours After the Member Item Checks Arrive

Huntley and Cook Go Shopping On Our Dime

Two local Dems tax-$$ embezzlement ‘shopping spree’ (NYP) New York state Assemblywoman Vivian Cook allegedly funneled thousands of dollars in public money to a corrupt fellow legislator — and was then rewarded with lavish shopping trips underwritten by taxpayer funds

Silence In Albany About Reforms To Stop the Stealing

“I have an agreement with a member of the New York state Assembly,” Huntley told a judge. “This person ensured that state funds would be directed to PIN for what is known as ‘member items,’ ” Huntley explained. “Once PIN received the state funds, I alerted this person, and together we used PIN’s funds for personal shopping.” Although her name was not mentioned in court, Cook has been identified as the state Assembly member who earmarked the tax dollars for Huntley’s private organization, according to several sources.* Shirley Huntley's theft of taxpayer money shows everything that's wrong with Albany(NYDN) Former state senator scammed $87,700 through a bogus nonprofit

Real Victims Blame Huntley and Cook for Another Reason Schools Fail

The government money that Cook and Huntley was supposed to underwrite the nonprofit, which promised to provide information and hold workshops on leadership and parenting skills for public-school parents.Isn’t giving a voice to parents, and all constituents, precisely the job of elected officials like Huntley?

Both Huntley’s and Cook’s alleged activities were uncovered by a team of FBI agents and prosecutors from the US Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn that is probing political corruption in southeastern Queens. Among others already ensnared in that probe are Jimmy Meng, a former New York state assemblyman from Flushing who pleaded guilty in November to soliciting bribes. Edul Ahmad, a Queens businessman who loaned $40,000 to the embattled Rep. Gregory Meeks, pleaded guilty in October and is awaiting sentencing for a $50 million mortgage-fraud scheme.

1/31/2013
JCOPE Got Ethics? Protecting Silver

The Post exposes the Joint Commission on Public Ethics as a watchdog with “no teeth” after one commission member named by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver was overheard refusing to recuse herself in a case involving Silver’s chief counsel: One editorial board is not surprised to hear an open mic pick up comments from Silver's appointee to J-COPE discussing her refusal to recuse herself from a case involving the speaker.

1/31/2013
The Feds Have Sammy the Bull Huntley
Not One Editoral Today About Member Items Leads to Corruption

Huntley Speaks And the Guessing Game Starts As to Who is Next To Enter Club Fed

Assemblywoman Vivian Cook also funded the non profit that Huntley used as her personal piggy bank
Huntley Plea To Mail Fraud The Who Who Did It Has Made A Lot of Pols Very Scared (True News)

Ex-State Senator Pleads Guilty in Fraud Case(NYT) Shirley L. Huntley, a Democrat who represented Queens in the Legislature, admitted stealing more than $87,000 in taxpayer money from a nonprofit agency and using it for shopping. * Huntley Pleads Guilty To Defrauding State Of $87K - As expected, former Queens Sen. Shirley Huntley has pleaded guil...(YNN) * Fmr. State Senator Huntley Pleads Guilty To Fraud(NY1) * Ex-Sen. Huntley pleads guilty to mail fraud(NYP) * Former State Senator Huntley Pleads Guilty To Fraud(NY1) *Ex-Senator Is Ordered to Return $87,700(WSJ) * Assemblywoman Vivian Cook may have a connection to former state senator Shirley Huntley's problematic non-profit. [Courtney Gross]* Ex-Sen. Shirley Huntley pleads guilty to fraud (Queens Chronicle)

Wonder What Quinn Thinks About the Shirley Huntley Member Item Scandal?

1/30/2013
The Feds Have Sammy the Bull Huntley

Huntley Speaks And the Guessing Game Starts As to Who is Next To Enter Club Fed

Assemblywoman Vivian Cook also funded the non profit that Huntley used as her personal piggy bank

Former Sen. Shirley Huntley pleads guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud in #brooklyn federal court* Shirley Huntley Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement Charges Setting her up to face up to five years of imprisonment and a fine of $250,000 when sentenced. The charges stem from a Queens non-profit that received government funds–earmarked by Ms. Huntley–to educate parents about the city’s public school system. However, according to federal prosecutors, approximately $87,700 of the cash instead went for her personal use. * Huntley Pleads Guilty To Defrauding State Of $87K - As expected, former Queens Sen. Shirley Huntley has pleaded guil...(YNN) * Fmr. State Senator Huntley Pleads Guilty To Fraud(NY1) * Ex-Sen. Huntley pleads guilty to mail fraud(NYP) * Former State Senator Huntley Pleads Guilty To Fraud(NY1)

Huntley Plea To Mail Fraud The Who Who Did It Has Made A Lot of Pols Very Scared (True News)

1/27/2013

Huntley Plea To Mail Fraud
The Who Who Did It Has Made A Lot of Pols Very Scared

(More coming soon)

Everyone is surprised that Embattled ex-state Sen. Shirley Huntley will plead guilty to federal fraud charges, sources said yesterday. They are not surprised that she will plea, what they are surprised is it is with the feds.The new federal case follows her indictment in Nassau Supreme Court last August on charges she falsified documents to hide the fact her niece and an aide siphoned $30,000 from a sham charity she created called “The Parent Network.” Brooklyn federal prosecutors working in the US Attorney's Office's public corruption unit quietly opened a mail fraud case against Huntley. earlier criminal case that was brought against Huntley last summer by New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is still pending in Nassau County Supreme Court. I wonder how the follow pols and lobbyists slept last night once they learned the feds took over the Huntly case: Smith, Meeks, Sampson, Paterson, Wills, Andrews, Sheinkopf, Lynch and the Rev. Flake Ex-Senator Huntley will cop to mail fraud; pol still faces charges in $30G charity 'sham'(Queens Politics) * Ex-Senator Huntley will cop to mail fraud; pol still faces charges in $30G charity 'sham'(NYP) * Ex-State Sen. Huntley to plead guilty(NYDN) * Former State Senator From Queens Expected to Plead Guilty to Corruption(NYT)
1/25/2013
Huntley Plea To Mail Fraud

Ex-Senator Huntley will cop to mail fraud; pol still faces charges in $30G charity 'sham'(Queens Politics)
Ex-Senator Huntley will cop to mail fraud; pol still faces charges in $30G charity 'sham'(NYP) * Ex-State Sen. Huntley to plead guilty(NYDN)

1/23/2013

Huntley Pay to Play Niece Survives Indictment

Former Senator’s Indicted Niece Kept on Payroll After Campaign Loss(NYO)

1/21/2013
Is Baldeo Talking to the Feds About Meeks?

Pol’s ‘crooked’ pals (NYP) Lineup of Meeks cronies in jail or hot water A number of Congressman Gregory Meeks’ friends are now in jail or under indictment, as prosecutors ramp up a federal probe into the New York Democrat. One old pal, Ponzi schemer Allen Stanford, is already in federal prison; another, Edul Ahmad, is facing sentencing in a $50 million mortgage scam; and Albert Baldeo was recently charged with campaign-finance fraud. Baldeo, the latest of Meeks’ pals to be arrested, is a Queens immigration lawyer whom the congressman described as a “good friend.” Baldeo was arrested by federal authorities in October, charged with using straw donors in his failed 2010 City Council bid. He was accused of giving friends and associates money to donate to his campaign in their own names in an attempt to boost contributions and gain city matching funds.

Baldeo is negotiating a possible plea deal with the feds. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on each of the four charges. Stanford, who is accused of bilking investors out of more than $7 billion, was sentenced to 110 years in prison in June. In 2006, he allegedly asked Meeks to use his influence with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. The billionaire wanted Meeks to nudge Chavez to begin a criminal investigation into a whistle-blower at Stanford’s Venezuelan bank. Two years later, Stanford hosted a lavish fund-raiser for the congressman in St. Croix. Ahmad in 2007 gave Meeks $40,000, money that the congressman said was a loan but that he did not pay back until after the FBI had asked about it. Meeks was cleared of wrongdoing last month by the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct.* True News: AEG Investigation Explodes * AEG Cover Up (True News)* Gov Paterson Was Looking for Political Support for the 2010 Campaign When He Said He OK’d Racino Deal as Favor to Sampson(True News)

1/11//2013
In Ocean 11 The Rat Pack Tried to Steal From A Casino, In Albany They Tried to Steal the Entire Casino

And on Wednesday, the ex-gov admitted that he backed AEG for political reasons — as opposed to what was best for the state. Paterson said he sided with Sampson because he wanted to help the “vulnerable” Democratic majority leader. Yet the AEG plan involved folks with shady backgrounds and clearly should’ve been shot down. Smith, by the way, is also a subject of the broader inquiry. Meanwhile, Paterson’s admission of his own sordid role in the affair is just more evidence of his lack of fitness — to put it mildly — for the position he accidentally acquired.

Did Cuomo Keep Sampson At Arms Lenghts Because He Knew That the AEG Investigation Would Exploded?
Gov. Cuomo must sure be glad he’s chosen to keep Sampson at arms length — even though he’s drawn considerable criticism from liberals for having done so.

1/10/2013
Gov Paterson Was Looking for Political Support for the 2010 Campaign When He Said He OK’d Racino Deal as Favor to Sampson
Paterson OKed the AEG Racino Deal to Help Himself Get Flakes Support to Win the 2010 Election As Governor

Paterson’s bad bet (NYP) Never mind what was best for taxpayers — former Gov. David Paterson admitted yesterday that he signed off on a deal to award the Aqueduct racino contract to a “tainted” bidder in 2009 to help then-state Senate Majority Leader John Sampson cling to power. And Paterson admitted that he “broke the deadlock” on behalf of AEG as a political favor to Sampson — although he knew that some of AEG’s partners had checkered pasts. Paterson said Sampson was a “vulnerable” new majority leader with a razor-thin majority. “He [Sampson] said he needs this a lot,” Paterson said of the AEG franchise. “And I went along with it.”

Lynch Set Up A Meeting Between Paterson and Flake A Day After the Governor OKed the AEG Deal

As for competition for an Aqueduct racino, Gov. David Paterson has a tie to SL Green, a bidder trying to build and operate a video lottery terminal parlor at the Queens track. SL Green hired Bill Lynch as a $7,500-per-month lobbyist in November; Lynch is Paterson's political adviser. Lynch said the Paterson campaign paid him $10,000 last year but he has been working for free for months. He said he doesn't talk to the governor about Aqueduct. 'Cheating' at races Aqueduct-bid loser axes gov pal as traitor (NYP, February 6, 2010) *
Hundreds of people rallied in Queens against “racist journalism” of the Aqueduct deal. (City Hall)

Soon After Paterson Meeting the Meeting With Flake Was Pick Up By the Newspaper He Drop Out of the Governors Race Gov. David Paterson drops election bid; announcement expected(NYT, Feb 26, 2010

Why Did Paterson OK the AEG Contract He Knew to Be Dirty

“The problem with the AEG company was that they had people on their board and involved in their operation who had scrapes and violations [with the law] on their record. So it immediately tainted their bid,” Paterson said. “There was always this sense that something was wrong with the group. I didn’t know at the time whether it was true or wasn’t true.”

c
1/8/2013

True News Told You 3 Years Ago About the Pol, DA and Media Cover Up of AEG . . . They Can Run But They Cannot Hide

The feds are grilling state Senate Democratic insiders as part of an explosive probe into an alleged Aqueduct casino bid-rigging scandal

Senate bigs targeted in racino bid-rig probe(NYP)
nvestigators are asking questions about the roles of then-Senate Democratic leaders John Sampson and Malcolm Smith and others who were accused of helping the Aqueduct Entertainment Group (AEG) land a multibillion-dollar casino contract three years ago, sources said.

t’s the second federal probe targeting Sampson. The Post last week reported that the former Senate minority leader is linked to a broader federal investigation into Queens Rep. Gregory Meeks and a convicted real estate developer, Edul Ahmad.

Kruger, Monserrate and Lipsky Ratting On the Sampon and The Rest of the Crooks in Albany

FBI agents recently interviewed witnesses about the Aqueduct case who were captured on wiretaps talking to other subjects convicted on corruption charges — including ex-state Sens. Carl Kruger and Hiram Monserrate and lobbyist Richard Lipsky.

“They asked about John Sampson, Malcolm Smith, Eric Adams and Carl Andrews,” the source said of FBI agents. “They said, ‘What do you know about these people and their role in the Aqueduct deal?’ ”

The Senate Democratic insider said the feds appeared to be looking at developing potential conspiracy charges for setting up the contract for AEG. In the IG report, Sampson was slammed for tainting the process by leaking a confidential bidding document to AEG’s lobbyist, Andrews, that included the detailed plans of rival bidders.

A Lobbyist Ordered By the Court To Spill Beans on AEG

Lobbyist loses racino bet (NYP) Lobbyist Carl Andrews will have to spill the beans about his role in the rigged selection of his client AEG’s bid to run a multibillion-dollar racino at Aqueduct Racetrack, the state’s highest court ruled yesterday.

How the Media Drop the Ball On the AEG Investigation

Not A Word in 3 Years

3 Years Ago

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver yes terday raised the stakes in the rapidly growing Aqueduct scandal, formally calling on state Inspector General Joseph Fisch to launch an immediate investigation of the mess (NYP Ed)*A Closer Look At Paterson's Allegedly Corrupt "Racino" Deal (Gothamist)

The AEG Bunch

Consultant Bill Lynch phone call to Paterson aboard Amtrack had to have to have a lot to do with AEG losing it winning bid at aqueduct and the federal investigation of it partner Flake and it political supporters Meeks and Smith. Lynch who must have been a follower of the late Roy Cohen school of business, set up a meeting between Paterson who he was an political advisor and Flake a day after AEG won the contract for video slots at Aqueduct. The thing is that Lynch was being paid by SL Green a competing company to win the contract for them. It is clear the the political consultant lobbyist business is not only corrupt it is very inse Cheating, Lying, Stealing --"Not me?" said, Mr. SL Green * Queens residents rallied against what they see as “racist” coverage of the death of the AEG deal * Hundreds of people rallied in Queens against “racist journalism”
of the Aqueduct deal. (City Hall) * Lobbyist Payoff If you believe that Paterson's political consultant did not talk to the governor about his winning client Flakes' AIG you deserve to have Albany represent you. SL Green hired Bill Lynch as a $7,500-per-month lobbyist in November; Lynch is Paterson's political adviser. Lynch said the Paterson campaign paid him $10,000 last year but he has been working for free for months. He said he doesn't talk to the governor about Aqueduct * Lynch is Paterson's political advise

Albany's Gambling Pay to Play Payoff Gov. David Paterson's advisor, Bill Lynch, was overheard giving the governor "sensitive advice" and disparaging AG Andrew Cuomo on speakerphone on a crowded train to Washington The meeting was arranged by Harlem political consultant Bill Lynch, who apparently spoke to the governor, on speakerphone, on a train. (Page Six) *** Skelos wants to hold hearings about how the contract was awarded. (NYP)Pay to Play Albany Slots Capping a flawed selection process, Gov. Paterson yesterday picked a business consortium tied to friend and former Democratic Rep. Floyd Flake to build a slot-machine casino at the Aqueduct Racecourse in Queens.Playing faves Gov pulls 'win' lever for friend

You Can Run But Can't Hide The political corrupt tax that is destroying our governmental budgets is so harmful to New York that the U.S. Attorney from the Southern saw fit to join the ingestion of AEG deal, which is already being investigate by the Eastern District because it is in their jurisdiction. This development just show how important the investigative authorities are taking this. So a word of to the Albany gang and their lobbyists time to cut and run. Prosecutors seize state info on Aqueduct casino deal

Why is the Press So In Love With Sheinkropf ?

What Sheinkropf does is help elected people to office and then Use those same people to make money for Himself

How in the world can Thompson hire a consultant who took the 5th 56 times when the NYS questioned him about the AEG bidding process. The press in a group has drop their prime mission of protecting the public by informing them of what is going on in their city, in exchange for the one lines and sound bites the consultant gives them. Sheinkopf took the 5th when asked questions by the NY former state Inspector General Joseph Fisch about the AEG scandal which is still being investigated by the feds as part of the AEG investigation. The Feds are also investigating a Board Of Election (the cesspool of political corruption) contract for new machines that Sheinkopf was a lobbyist for. Feds investigate switch by Board of Elections ... - New York Post

Not So Fast Mr. Mayor Smith

Meanwhile, a source told the feds that Smith boasted that the AEG casino would be his “golden parachute” when he left the Senate. During his testimony, Smith insisted he did not play an active role in the Aqueduct selection process. But the IG report concluded that he was an AEG advocate who served as “AEG’s eyes and ears in the Senate.” Smith also signed the AEG contract as Senate president.

1/7/2013
Sampson's SkyFall Continues

GOOD TIMING! John Sampson's top aide resigns as the Brooklyn state Sen. gets rushed by the Feds(NYDN) Paul Rivera's departure -- which raised eyebrows considering the FBI probe -- was actually in the works for a long time: insider.

1/6/2013

GOOD TIMING! John Sampson's top aide resigns as the Brooklyn state Sen. gets rushed by the Feds(NYDN) Paul Rivera's departure -- which raised eyebrows considering the FBI probe -- was actually in the works for a long time: insider.

1/3/2013

The inquiry focusing on Sampson stems from a broader federal probe into Queens Democratic Congressman Gregory Meeks

Fundraising and AEG

A Lobbyist Ordered By the Court To Spill Beans on AEG

Lobbyist loses racino bet (NYP) Lobbyist Carl Andrews will have to spill the beans about his role in the rigged selection of his client AEG’s bid to run a multibillion-dollar racino at Aqueduct Racetrack, the state’s highest court ruled yesterday.

More on AEG

Gambling In NY?

Genting, the Malaysian company building a racino at Aqueduct Racetrack, is spending $1 million a year on lobbying to change the state constitution so it can open a full-fledged, Las Vegas-style casino in Queens, the Times-Union says

Feds Put Together the Pieces of Flake and Smith Non Profit Government Funded Empire

Federal grand jury probes deals made by Smith, other Queens pols Sources said the feds are investigating whether the pols used a web of nonprofit groups to benefit themselves. * Greg Meeks, Malcolm Smith, Floyd Flake, and Helen Marshal are under investigation.

It not only Flake that has put together these government funded banks for politicians, many have. The council speaker funds the Newline foundations and park as a job program for her friends. There are government funded and created empires all over the city that not only enrich pols but are used to assure them reelection. He is another one Pork Pig Fidler’s Media Friends Put Lipstick On Him

Flake is just unlucky that he got caught. Or he got to greedy with AEG's Aqueduct slot machines. The press has stayed away from reporting on the council slush fund investigation. Only True News has reported for the past year on the lack of developments in the investigation and the stalling of an appeal by Norman Siegel of his NYC Taxpayers Petition For Slush Fund Inquiry - wcbstv.com

Delusional New York Politics: You Can Run But Can't Hide

Growing Aqueduct Investigations
Muck out the stable: Bet on the U.S. attorney to clean up the rank Aqueduct deal(NYDN Ed) *** Subpoena Seeks Senator’s Records on Funds He Directed to Community Groups *** Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver yes terday raised the stakes in the rapidly growing Aqueduct scandal, formally calling on state Inspector General Joseph Fisch to launch an immediate investigation of the mess (NYP Ed) *** A spokesman for Gov. David Paterson said Silver and the Legislature should be included in any AEG inquiry *** The US attorney's office subpoeaned information about Senate President Malcolm Smith's member items, but are focused on the cash he funneled to a non-profit he helped found, New Direction *** Federal investigators subpoenaed records of Senate President Malcolm Smith’s member-item grant requests for a nonprofit with ties to AEG partner Rev. Floyd Flake. (TU) *** U.S. Attorney Subpoenas NY Officials On Rep. Meeks' Non-Profit *** War on Fraud Widens: U.S. Attorney and DOI Following Money Trail (Henry Stern NY Civic)

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Albany Corruption Makes Losers Winners

Albany Corruption Makes Losers Winners
AEG Wins With Weak Bid
Aque-slots firm was ranked as a bad bet *** VIDEO: Bankrupt OTB pitches gambling terminals to taverns * Growing Aqueduct Investigations Breaking News Judge: IG Subpoenas To Senate Dems Stand *Senate Loses First Round in Subpoena Fight** A Closer Look At Paterson's Allegedly Corrupt "Racino" Deal (Gothamist)
Paterson halts build projects & school aid *** Paterson Delays School Aid, Citing State’s Lack of Money *** State employee unions risk "massive" layoffs if they don't accept cuts, a Paterson administration official warned * Paterson is also suspending hundreds of new and current construction projects due to the ongoing fiscal crisis and budget stalemate *** NY's Legislature to miss state budget

The AEG Bunch
Consultant Bill Lynch phone call to Paterson aboard Amtrack had to have to have a lot to do with AEG losing it winning bid at aqueduct and the federal investigation of it partner Flake and it political supporters Meeks and Smith. Lynch who must have been a follower of the late Roy Cohen school of business, set up a meeting between Paterson who he was an political advisor and Flake a day after AEG won the contract for video slots at Aqueduct. The thing is that Lynch was being paid by SL Green a competing company to win the contract for them. It is clear the the political consultant lobbyist business is not only corrupt it is very inse Cheating, Lying, Stealing --"Not me?" said, Mr. SL Green * Queens residents rallied against what they see as “racist” coverage of the death of the AEG deal * Hundreds of people rallied in Queens against “racist journalism” of the Aqueduct deal. (City Hall)

Pay to Play Aqueduct News of a federal probe into a politically connected Queens charity supposedly meant to help Hurricane Katrina victims is just one more reason to freeze the Aqueduct "racino" deal. Dave's dying deal *** Criminal partner drops out of Aqueduct racino *** Feds' eye on missing Katrina aid *** Aqueduct also-rans weigh suit vs. Dave ***

Malcolm Smith Likes Fred Dicker But Is Boycotting Post Anyway

Fat City for Lobbyist Political Consultant Bill Lynch Lynch was being paid by SL Green $7500 a month, who lost the slot machine bid. Lynh was not part of Flake and AEG winining bid to build a slot-machine casino at the Aqueduct Racecourse in Queens. but he did arrange the first meet two days after the deal with the governor and Flake. It was not a hard lift for Lynch since Lynch is Paterson's political adviser *** Albany's Gambling Pay to Play Payoff Gov. David Paterson's advisor, Bill Lynch, was overheard giving the governor "sensitive advice" and disparaging AG Andrew Cuomo on speakerphone on a crowded train to Washington *** Paterson has delayed the formal launch of his campaign, which Fred Dicker attributes to his inability to round up prominent supporters. (NYP) *** The meeting was arranged by Harlem political consultant Bill Lynch, who apparently spoke to the governor, on speakerphone, on a train. (Page Six) *** Skelos wants to hold hearings about how the contract was awarded. (NYP)

Fading in stretchAssembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is prepared to kill the controversial Aqueduct slots contract awarded to a politically wired consortium because of ongoing federal and state probes *** Aqueduct probers won't find anything, guv boasts

'Paranoid' gov going ballistic Over AEG lashing out at staffers (Dicker NYP)

Aqueduct Investigation Continues Friday Update Feds on Aqueduct warpath *** Aqueduct Racino Debacle Uncovers Another Astonishing Relationship *** What are they hiding? Burning questions still unanswered about Aqueduct deal (DN Ed) *** Paterson: I Was Against AEG Before I Was For It

(no story by the NYT) exhausted by their David W. Johnson investigation? NYP Aqueduct slots winner started dead last in bid process ***Aqueduct deal's funny bid-ness *** Feds contact losing bidders in probe on Aqueduct deal*** Daily News Editorial: Scratch Aqueduct deal *** Paterson document dump reveals high-stakes wheeling and dealing to win Aqueduct racino competition*** Feds quiz failed Aqueduct bidders over AEG selection*** Feds galloping into probe of Aqueduct racino deal

True News Updated All Weekend

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Albany's Gambling
Pay to Play Payoff

Pay to Play Albany Slots Capping a flawed selection process, Gov. Paterson yesterday picked a business consortium tied to friend and former Democratic Rep. Floyd Flake to build a slot-machine casino at the Aqueduct Racecourse in Queens.Playing faves Gov pulls 'win' lever for friend

Lobbyist Payoff If you believe that Paterson's political consultant did not talk to the governor about his winning client Flakes' AIG you deserve to have Albany represent you. SL Green hired Bill Lynch as a $7,500-per-month lobbyist in November; Lynch is Paterson's political adviser. Lynch said the Paterson campaign paid him $10,000 last year but he has been working for free for months. He said he doesn't talk to the governor about Aqueduct * Lynch is Paterson's political adviser *** Piece of the Action Albany's racino racket * SL Green's hiring of Bill Lynch, one of Paterson's top political aides, as a lobbyist has only reinforced the sense that the final decision won't be on the merits.

Crime Pays in Albany Assembly sources said that's a "potential problem" for at least two smaller AEG investors, including Darryl Greene, an associate of Flake's firm and onetime business partner with Senate President Malcolm Smith (D-Queens). Greene was convicted in 1999 of stealing $500,000 from city agencies and private firms that paid him for affirmative-action hiring services. Silver, who was believed to have favored another of the bidders, insisted that four conditions be met, including a requirement that no investor associated with AEG could have a criminal record. Playing faves Gov pulls 'win' lever for friend

Delusional New York Politics: You Can Run But Can't Hide

Politically-linked nonprofit's garage, Jamaica First Parking, stripped of charity status (DN)

The House Ethics Commission has dismissed a charge against Rep. Gregory Meeks. A different charge is still being reviewed.

Meeks Loan Investigation Continues

Loan to Congressman Is Investigated(WSJ) * Rep. Meeks Faces Ethics Probe Over 'Loan' (WSJ) Probers eye Meeks rap over 40G 'loan'(NYP Investigations: “Meeks refused to cooperate with investigators and refused to turn over loan documents.” [Geoff Earle / NY Post]

NYP Explains the Constitutional Complexities to Open Up Casinos in New York

A NYS Constitutional Convention Might Be the Best Way To Allow Gambling in New York * The Post isn’t sold on the expansion of gambling in NYS, but thinks it’s a good time to have the conversation.* The TU editorial board thinks five Indian casinos plus the VLT parlors is “quite enough,” thank you Let gambling grow?(NYP Ed) * Study first, then roll the dice(TU)

More Pay to Play Meeks

Meeks on crony express Sought favors for pal from ‘Ponzi’ tycoon, records show(NYP)

The Feb. 19, 2008, e-mail, obtained by The Post, was addressed to Yolanda Suarez, chief counsel for the company run by now-disgraced billionaire banker Allen Stanford. It and other insistent messages during that period show Queens Rep. Gregory Meeks was determined to get his pal, Edul Ahmad, invited to a Caribbean cricket match so he could meet another Meeks buddy, Stanford.

The urgent pleas were made a year after Ahmad handed Meeks $40,000.

Meeks Loan Investigation Continues

Loan to Congressman Is Investigated(WSJ) * Rep. Meeks Faces Ethics Probe Over 'Loan' (WSJ) Probers eye Meeks rap over 40G 'loan'(NYP Investigations: “Meeks refused to cooperate with investigators and refused to turn over loan documents.” [Geoff Earle / NY Post]

You Can Run But Can't Hide The political corrupt tax that is destroying our governmental budgets is so harmful to New York that the U.S. Attorney from the Southern saw fit to join the ingestion of AEG deal, which is already being investigate by the Eastern District because it is in their jurisdiction. This development just show how important the investigative authorities are taking this. So a word of to the Albany gang and their lobbyists time to cut and run. Prosecutors seize state info on Aqueduct casino deal *** Meeks aide's wife got campaign $$ *** Figure Under Scrutiny in Inquiry Into Charity Was on Senate Payroll *** Fed probe of Lottery not tied to Aqueduct bid: gov aide ***Feds target VLT data (TU) *** Sources tell Jim Odato the feds are interested in New Direction Local Development Corp., which has ties to Senate President Malcolm Smith * A former prosecutor under scrutiny in a federal investigation into a charity set up by Meeks and Smith was placed on the Senate payroll by Simth in 2002 * Updated: Smith’s member items are of interest to the U.S. Attorney * Sheldon Silver wants the state Inspector General to look at the Aqueduct deal.

1. The Green Felt Jungle Returns was the first book (published in 1964) that exposed the mob takeover of Vegas. One center of Mafia activity in the U.S. was the Chicago- Hollywood-Vegas connection. After Bugsy Siegel was blown away in 1947, the mob began taking over Las Vegas in earnest, buying off the authorities as needed. Legalized gambling made for high profits (particularly when an unreported percentage was skimmed off the top), and casinos were excellent for laundering money. Now the political mob has won control in New York and the fed are after them

For Over 3 Years True News Has Been Telling You About the AEG Cover Up By the Media

True News Told You 3 Years Ago About the Pol, DA and Media Cover Up of AEG . . . They Can Run But They Cannot Hide

The feds are grilling state Senate Democratic insiders as part of an explosive probe into an alleged Aqueduct casino bid-rigging scandal

A Lobbyist Ordered By the Court To Spill Beans on AEG

Lobbyist loses racino bet (NYP) Lobbyist Carl Andrews will have to spill the beans about his role in the rigged selection of his client AEG’s bid to run a multibillion-dollar racino at Aqueduct Racetrack, the state’s highest court ruled yesterday.

How the Media Drop the Ball On the AEG Investigation

Not A Word in 3 Years

3 Years Ago

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver yes terday raised the stakes in the rapidly growing Aqueduct scandal, formally calling on state Inspector General Joseph Fisch to launch an immediate investigation of the mess (NYP Ed)*A Closer Look At Paterson's Allegedly Corrupt "Racino" Deal (Gothamist)

The AEG Bunch

You Can Run But Can't Hide The political corrupt tax that is destroying our governmental budgets is so harmful to New York that the U.S. Attorney from the Southern saw fit to join the ingestion of AEG deal, which is already being investigate by the Eastern District because it is in their jurisdiction. This development just show how important the investigative authorities are taking this. So a word of to the Albany gang and their lobbyists time to cut and run. Prosecutors seize state info on Aqueduct casino deal

Why is the Press So In Love With Sheinkropf ?

What Sheinkropf does is help elected people to office and then Use those same people to make money for Himself

Not So Fast Mr. Mayor Smith

Lobbyist Drive the Secret Government

No Bid Deal As Lobbyist Block the Checks and Balances of Government

Groundwork Evens Odds for Genting(WSJ) Genting has enlisted a troupe of top lobbyists and consultants to help push for a legalization of gambling. Among those on its roster: Bradley Tusk, the former campaign manager to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and SKDKnickerbocker, a well-connected firm with ties to Mr. Cuomo and other top policy makers.* Barrett: Quizzing Blago about Bloomie's Man, Brad Tusk (Village Voice)

The Post questions Cuomo’s plan to open a casino and convention center in southeast Queens, and says the area would be better served with a Walmart Andrew’s bad bet (NYP Ed) * Aqueduct’s racino brought in more money – nearly $90 million – in the two short months since it opened at the Queens racetrack than five upstate outfits each banked all last year.* Cuomo Says Aqueduct Racino Could Expand With Or Without Legalized Casino Gambling (NYDN) * Javits Center Plagued With Problems From the Start(DNAINFO)

Convention Center Push Pull: Lobbyists vs. City Power

Behind an Army of Lobbyists, a Force in Gambling(NYT) Genting Berhad, one of the world’s largest gambling conglomerates, has amassed a swarm of lobbyists as it pursues lucrative projects in New York and Miami.* City Has Say on Aqueduct(WSJ) Despite Cuomo’s claims that the state ultimately controls the process, records show that New York City actually has a surprising amount of the power over whether a new casino and convention center are built in Queens. Genting’s lobbyist/consultant roster reads like a who’s who of NY players: John Cordo, Jennifer Cunningham, Pat Lynch, Brad Tusk, James Featherstonhaugh, Nick Spano.* The state Racing and Wagering Board has opened an investigation into whether the New York Racing Association has been improperly letting people bet on credit. * Casino gambling legislation was introduced today in the Assembly.

PA Cuts It Ties to Meeks and His Political Machine

PA Qns. probe (NYP) Eyeing nonprofit payouts The Port Authority’s new director has launched a “massive” investigation into the agency’s financial dealings with all nonprofits in Jamaica in the last decade, after The Post revealed last week that the agency gave $2.7 million to a politically connected group for a phantom revitalization effort. * GJDC exec quits as land deal with PA has stalled(Queens Chronicle) * Greater Jamaica, which has received millions of dollars in congressional earmarks from Rep. Gregory Meeks over the years, used $2.7 million in PA money to purchase an empty grocery store in 2004, with plans to replace it with an office tower.

Former Senator-turned-lobbyist Carl Andrews appears to have reached the end of the line in his effort to squash the subpoena related to his role in teh AEG scandal.

___________________________________________________________________________________

The Speakers Bag Man

Huntley Told the FBI That Bags of Cash Were All Over the Legislative Office Building
Who Knew Corrupt Sheinkopf Was Also Was Also Silver's Bag Man

Bribe $$$
As the state evaluated the billion-dollar proposals for the Aqueduct Racetrack racino in 2009, principals for the shadiest bidder gave thousands to a political committee controlled by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver — money that nobody today can account for. And months later, just before that scandal-plagued bidder was picked, Silver solicited “campaign dough” from Hank Sheinkopf, a friend who was lobbying for the company, the Aqueduct Entertainment Group. * Sheldon Silver on hot seat over racino bid as e-mails track money to political committee(NYP) *Silver: Legislature Needs A Role In Casino Siting(YNN) *Gambling Industry Money Is Streaming Into Albany(NYT)

In Ocean 11 The Rat Pack Tried to Steal From A Casino, In Albany They Tried to Steal the Entire Casino

The AEG Investigation So Far (True News)

“At each turn, our state leaders abdicated their public duty, failed to impose ethical restraints and focused on political gain at a cost of millions to New Yorkers,” former IG Joseph Fisch said when he released the scathing AEG report. Two key AEG supporters, state Sens. John Sampson and Malcolm Smith, were arrested this spring by federal authorities on unrelated charges, and more legislators are reportedly in the cross hairs. A few days later, Woolf e-mailed developer Larry Roman: “if we were to offer Hank a big job or $ he could move Silver to our side.” A month before AEG was chosen the winner, Silver asked Sheinkopf for “campaign dough,” according to a Dec. 14, 2009, e-mail from Sheinkopf to Roman.* Behind an Army of Lobbyists, a Force in Gambling(NYT) * Genting’s lobbyist/consultant roster reads like a who’s who of NY players: John Cordo, Jennifer Cunningham, Pat Lynch, Brad Tusk, James Featherstonhaugh, Nick Spano.

The Racino Scandal Exposes The Corruption of Sheldon Silver, Lobbyist and Clinton Employee Hank Sheinkopf, and Others

“Rumor has it Shelly and the gov don’t like us for Aqueduct. I’m trying to get to the bottom of it,” according to a July 8, 2009, e-mail from AEG lobbyist Fred Polsinelli to Sheinkopf, a longtime political operative and Silver friend. A few weeks later, the principals had an opportunity to curry favor with Silver at his “Speaker’s Cup” golf outing, a fund-raiser for the Democratic Assembly Campaign Committee. Silver was the group’s honorary chairman. But there were to be no traces of AEG on the money it donated to the event. “They don’t want the check to come from AEG,” O’Farrell wrote in an e-mail sent on July 17, 2009. “I’ve seen Hank Sheinkopf in action. If you want some quality time with Silver, Hank’s your man,” consultant Eugene Christiansen told AEG principal Larry Woolf in an Aug. 19, 2009, e-mail.Sheinkopf refused to talk to the IG in 2010, invoking the Fifth Amendment. “I have no obligation to be intimidated by him under any circumstances. I’m not a state employee,” Sheinkopf told The Post last week. “It’s none of his f--king business, how’s that?’* Gov Paterson Was Looking for Political Support for the 2010 Campaign When He Said He OK’d Racino Deal as Favor to Sampson(True News)

Gambling Going On In Spitzer's Campaign?

The NYP Does Not Notice That Nobody Has Been Arrested for AGE

Spitzer getting help from lobbyist with shady connections(NYP)
Carl Andrews, a key figure in the Aqueduct bid-rigging scandal, is personally calling
black community and religious leaders on behalf of the ex-governor’s campaign for comptroller. A scathing 2009 state inspector general’s report accused Sampson of leaking to Andrews internal documents about rival bidders who wanted to run a casino at the track. Andrews was then a lobbyist for the Aqueduct Entertainment Group.

Democratic insiders say Spitzer is being aided by disgraced former Brooklyn Democratic boss and one-time Assemblyman Clarence Norman Jr., who went to jail for political corruption and who is the son of a prominent Brooklyn minister, and by former state Sen. Carl Andrews, a controversial lobbyist and longtime Norman ally.

The Post Did Not List Eric Adams Whose Role in the AEG Scandal Was Written About in the IG Report
Among the guests were Sampson and Queens Sen. Malcolm Smith, the former Democratic majority leader who’s been charged in a federal indictment with trying to bribe his way onto the Republican ballot.

The Post Did Not Give the Name of the Lawyer Who Represented Andrews and Others in the IG lawssuit, Ken Thompson Who is Running for Brooklyn DA
Andrews sued to try to quash a state IG’s subpoena requiring him to testify and submit documents in the Aqueduct probe.

NYT No Spitzer Money Laundering
Legal experts challenged Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer’s claim that Spitzer engaged in money laundering when he paid for prostitutes while he was governor, the New York Times writes:

IG Drops AEG Bomb (Updatedx2) - NY State of Politics

The New York Post today said that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is probing former New York State Senate Majority Leader, John Sampson following its investigation of convicted Guyanese mortgage fraudster Ed Ahmad.

AEG Out as Casino Operator at Aqueduct | BloodHorse.com

Mar 11, 2010 - AEG was tapped by Paterson, Sampson and Assembly Speaker ... He said because of ongoing state and federal investigations AEG was told ...

Paterson admits he OK’d ‘tainted’ casino firm to help then-state Senate Majority Leader John Sampson(NYP)

March 11, 2010

Aqueduct Racino Deal Collapses
Well, there goes the AEG Aqueduct deal. Albany has withdrawn its support for the Aqueduct Entertainment Group bid that earlier this year won the "racino" video gaming concession at Aqueduct Raceway. Today the state Division of the Lottery announced it "has concluded that it cannot issue a g ... More >>

Two of the lobbyists accused in the IG report of fixing the Democratic senate - Carl Andrews and Hank Sheinkopf - flouted the probe, with Andrews unsuccessfully suing to block subpoenas and appealing right up to the report’s release, and Sheinkopf taking the fifth amendment. Incredibly, their refusal to cooperate with a state probe of the award of one state contract has no effect on their ability to seek another. There are no qualifications or standards for this job, and you can keep it even if the state’s Public Integrity Commission (PIC) finds that you violated the lobbying laws. All you have to do is find a client willing to pay you.
Andrews hosted a victory dinner in his Albany house right after AEG won the bid, and Smith and Sampson and five other legislators, including Manhattan county leader Keith Wright, joined company brass at an event Andrews invoiced for $1,562. The night before Governor Paterson announced the award, Andrews and AEG executives lit a victory cigar at the Havana Club with Al Sharpton, whose NAN had just collected $100,000 in AEG contributions, ostensibly tied to their belief that the Rev was whispering to Paterson on their behalf. A former state senator himself, Andrews held a top executive title in the Spitzer and Paterson administrations until a scandal about his apparent efforts to influence a decision of the State Liquor Authority forced him from office (the IG eventually concluded that Andrews’ top aide had to be fired).
But, like Mel Miller and others in Albany, Andrews has found that scandal can be a stepping stone, prospering even after his mentor, Brooklyn Democratic boss and assemblyman Clarence Norman, was convicted in three separate felony cases. Andrews attracted clients like AEG from the moment he threw up a shingle in 2009, also recruiting A.L. Eastmond & Sons, the Bronx boiler firm that allegedly paid City Councilman Larry Seabrook $50,000 to rig a Yankee Stadium subcontract. He also represents the Marcus Garvey Nursing Home, a much-probed, state-supported, Brooklyn residence that remained the biggest giver to Norman’s re-election committee in 2009, four years after he surrendered his assembly post.
Charged by the IG with getting a confidential senate memo from Sampson and playing a key role in tilting Sampson in AEG’s direction, Andrews’ relationship with Sampson is described by the IG as “a wellspring of ethical issues.” E-mails from AEG executives revealed that a day after Andrews got the secret memo comparing bids, they decided to boost his monthly stipend by $2,500 to $10,000, calling him “our most important” of seven lobbyists. But they also decided to pay him only half of the amount he was due right away. “By delaying payment #2,” one executive wrote, referring to a second $10,000 stipend, “he can’t release the senate.” It is such a statement of perceived power that Andrews, who has survived so many grand juries he may think they’re grand, is apparently trying again to wait out this storm as well and perhaps turn the findings into a flyer for his services.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

AEG Cover Up 777

AEG Investigation Explodes

In September 2007 - New York State Office of the Inspector General Report

Lobbyist loses racino bet (NYP) Lobbyist Carl Andrews will have to spill the beans about his role in the rigged selection of his client AEG’s bid to run a multibillion-dollar racino at Aqueduct Racetrack, the state’s highest court ruled yesterday.

3 Years Ago

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver yes terday raised the stakes in the rapidly growing Aqueduct scandal, formally calling on state Inspector General Joseph Fisch to launch an immediate investigation of the mess (NYP Ed)*A Closer Look At Paterson's Allegedly Corrupt "Racino" Deal (Gothamist)

Why is the Press So In Love With Sheinkropf ?

GOOD TIMING! John Sampson's top aide resigns as the Brooklyn state Sen. gets rushed by the Feds(NYDN) Paul Rivera's departure -- which raised eyebrows considering the FBI probe -- was actually in the works for a long time: insider.

Lobbyist loses racino bet (NYP) Lobbyist Carl Andrews will have to spill the beans about his role in the rigged selection of his client AEG’s bid to run a multibillion-dollar racino at Aqueduct Racetrack, the state’s highest court ruled yesterday.

Delusional New York Politics: You Can Run But Can't Hide

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Albany Corruption Makes Losers Winners

Fading in stretchAssembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is prepared to kill the controversial Aqueduct slots contract awarded to a politically wired consortium because of ongoing federal and state probes *** Aqueduct probers won't find anything, guv boasts

Saturday, January 30, 2010

The House Ethics Commission has dismissed a charge against Rep. Gregory Meeks. A different charge is still being reviewed.

The House Ethics Commission has dismissed a charge against Rep. Gregory Meeks. A different charge is still being reviewed.

Meeks Loan Investigation Continues

Loan to Congressman Is Investigated(WSJ) * Rep. Meeks Faces Ethics Probe Over 'Loan' (WSJ) *Probers eye Meeks rap over 40G 'loan'(NYP * Investigations: “Meeks refused to cooperate with investigators and refused to turn over loan documents.” [Geoff Earle / NY Post]

More Pay to Play Meeks

Meeks on crony express Sought favors for pal from ‘Ponzi’ tycoon, records show(NYP)

Meeks Loan Investigation Continues

Loan to Congressman Is Investigated(WSJ) * Rep. Meeks Faces Ethics Probe Over 'Loan' (WSJ) *Probers eye Meeks rap over 40G 'loan'(NYP * Investigations: “Meeks refused to cooperate with investigators and refused to turn over loan documents.” [Geoff Earle / NY Post]

For Over 3 Years True News Has Been Telling You About the AEG Cover Up By the Media

Lobbyist loses racino bet (NYP) Lobbyist Carl Andrews will have to spill the beans about his role in the rigged selection of his client AEG’s bid to run a multibillion-dollar racino at Aqueduct Racetrack, the state’s highest court ruled yesterday.

3 Years Ago

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver yes terday raised the stakes in the rapidly growing Aqueduct scandal, formally calling on state Inspector General Joseph Fisch to launch an immediate investigation of the mess (NYP Ed)*A Closer Look At Paterson's Allegedly Corrupt "Racino" Deal (Gothamist)

Why is the Press So In Love With Sheinkropf ?

Lobbyist Drive the Secret Government

No Bid Deal As Lobbyist Block the Checks and Balances of Government

PA Cuts It Ties to Meeks and His Political Machine

Former Senator-turned-lobbyist Carl Andrews appears to have reached the end of the line in his effort to squash the subpoena related to his role in teh AEG scandal.

The New York Post today said that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is probing former New York State Senate Majority Leader, John Sampson following its investigation of convicted Guyanese mortgage fraudster Ed Ahmad.

March 11, 2010

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Loan to Congressman Is Investigated(WSJ) * Rep. Meeks Faces Ethics Probe Over 'Loan' (WSJ) Probers eye Meeks rap over 40G 'loan'(NYP Investigations: “Meeks refused to cooperate with investigators and refused to turn over loan documents.” [Geoff Earle / NY Post]

Loan to Congressman Is Investigated(WSJ) * Rep. Meeks Faces Ethics Probe Over 'Loan' (WSJ) Probers eye Meeks rap over 40G 'loan'(NYP Investigations: “Meeks refused to cooperate with investigators and refused to turn over loan documents.” [Geoff Earle / NY Post]