de Blasio's Lawyer From Connected Law Firm Lobbyist That Represented the Mayor's PAC Campaign for One NY
Campaign lawyerblasts Board of Elections for seeking criminal probe into de Blasio fund-raising (NYDN)
A campaign lawyer for Mayor de Blasio ripped allegations of potentially
criminal wrongdoing in a 2014 fund-raising effort for state Senate
Democrats, charging a bombshell memo from the head investigator for the
state Board of Elections “reflects either a shocking lack of
understanding or a complete disregard of the most fundamental aspects of
the state’s election laws.” Laurence Laufer, an attorney for some of
the groups accused of violations and who was also general counsel to de
Blasio’s 2013 campaign, penned a letter to BOE Chief Enforcement Officer
Risa Sugarman rebutting her allegations of a “willful and flagrant”
effort to circumvent campaign contribution limits. Sugarman charged in
her memo that de Blasio’s team solicited big bucks donations to local
Democratic committees and then quickly transferred the money to
individual candidates, avoiding a $10,300 limit on candidate
contributions. The moves were egregious enough to warrant a criminal
referral, she wrote. But Laufer insisted the groups involved did nothing
wrong and panned Sugarman’s memo as a politically motivated document
that showed “complete disregard of the long recognized principles
underlying our state’s election laws” and was improperly leaked to the
press. Laufer
charged Sugarman, who was appointed by Gov. Cuomo, was just playing
politics. “I am deeply troubled that your office made a criminal
referral that was based on a complete misreading and utter disregard of
the state’s unambiguous election laws, and that your blatantly political
document was leaked to the press,” he said. “I specifically reserve all
of my clients’ rights and remedies to pursue action against you and
your office for all of your known and unknown conduct relating to the
events referenced in this letter.”* Lawyer for Fund-Raisers Tied to de Blasio Fires Back at Elections Board (NYT)The
response came after a report said a group of political fund-raisers
linked to the mayor had violated campaign finance laws. * 'A
SHOCKING LACK OF UNDERSTANDING': Campaign lawyer blasts Board of
Elections for seeking criminal probe into de Blasio fund-raising, rips
officer for playing politics (NYDN)* Errol Louis: Mixing public, private money & policies (NYDN) * Lupica: Mayor must face questions on campaign donations probe (NYDN) * De Blasio, Denying Misdeeds Again, Says Claims May Be Driven by Politics
(NYT) Queried about a series of investigations, Mayor Bill de Blasio
stuck to his defense that no laws were broken and that politics may be
behind the inquiries.NYT Says Mayor's Lawyers Attacking BOE Tied to the Criminal Charges But Does Not Say How!
Lawyer forFund-Raisers Tied to de Blasio Fires Back at Elections Board (NYT) In a strongly worded response to a New York State Board of Elections report alleging illegal fund-raising activities by a team of people with close ties to Mayor Bill de Blasio, a lawyer for several of the implicated parties has accused the board of “a shocking lack of understanding or a complete disregard of the most fundamental aspects of the state’s election laws.”
De Blasio Gone Rogue Defies State Law on Lobbyists Regulations
it's
unfortunate but only vehicle 4 containing corruption is the US
Attorney's office. Pols will not do it & neither will local
prosecutors
The
FBI Task of Connecting Campaign Consultants to Coordinating With PACs
They Controlled to Avoid Campaign Limits Will Be Like Shooting Fish in a
Barrel
All
the FBI has to do is to chart the interlocking directorates of the
following PACs: NYCLASS, Campaign for One New York and the UFT's United
for the Future. True News has already reported that to better understand
why and how the mayor's distraction spin operates a good place to start
is Laurence Laufer’s law firm: Kantor Davidoff Wolfe.
Laufer
is the election lawyer who wrote the counter attack against NYSBOE
Chief Enforcement Office Risa Sugarman’s report, sent to the Manhattan
DA Cyrus Vance for a criminal investigation, which found “willful and
flagrant” violations of election law by a group of political operatives
known as Team de Blasio. Laufer's law firm is the lobbyists for dozens
of candidates who do business with the city.
The
report also names several union officials and political consulting
firms, including Berlin Rosen, which has longstanding ties to the mayor.
Both Berlin Rosen and Red Horse, which work for the mayor's Campaign
for One NY PAC that raised money laundered through a Putnam Democratic
Party Committee, also work for Democratic Senate Campaign Committee on
the same campaigns as consultants that the Campaigns for One NY PACs
raised money for.
It
is hard to understand why the Campaign Finance Board, Conflicts of
Interest Board and the Attorney General did not prosecute the Advance
Group, NYCLASS PAC and others for violating coordinating campaign
spending they controlled with a PAC they also controlled. On June 1,
2013 NYCLASS received another large donation, this time for $175,000. It
came from UNITE HERE!—a labor union headed by John Wilhelm, de Blasio’s
cousin—and a prolific fund-raiser for him. Wilhelm raised $6,950 for de
Blasio’s 2009 race for public advocate and $80,000 for de Blasio’s
successful campaign for mayor. Two days after that contribution, on June
3, NYCLASS sent the same amount, $175,000, to the anti-Quinn campaign.
NYDBOE: "The actions of the mayor, his political team and his state democratic allies led to “willful and flagrant violations” of state law"
De Blasio, aides accused of ‘criminal’ fundraising activity
(NYP) “There is considerable evidence in this case that New York City
mayor William de Blasio organized a team dedicated to getting a
sufficient number of Democratic New York State senators elected in 2014
to achieve a Democratic majority in the senate. The evidence indicates
that de Blasio established a structure, both within and outside City
Hall, and entered into an agreement with powerful unions… and political
consultants… to raise and spend money to influence senate races,” wrote
Sugarman, who was nominated to the post by Gov. Cuomo. “The evidence
demonstrates that the de Blasio team coordinated its fundraising
activities with and intentionally solicited contributions for these
candidates … in order to evade contribution limits and to disguise the
true names of the contributors, conduct which may violate [two election
laws],” she wrote. One of those alleged violations is a felony. The
memo targets de Blasio, his legislative director Emma Wolfe; Ross Offinger, de Blasio’s campaign finance director and treasurer of his political advocacy roup Campaign for One; former Hotel and Trade union official Josh Gold; Jason Goldman of the UFT; and political consultants Neal Kwatra, BerlinRose, AKPD Message Media and Hilltop
Public Solutions. It calls them “Team de Blasio,” and says the nearly
$1 million they solicited from big unions and fat-cat donors were
steered to the Putnam County and the Ulster County Democratic committees, and then redirected to three candidates: Justin Wagner, Terry Gipson and Cecilia Tkaczyk. Many of the checks were deposited through Offinger, and some with notations such as “donation per mayor,” the memo cites.
NYDBOE: "The actions of the mayor, his political team and his state democratic allies led to “willful and flagrant violations” of state law"
True News Knew In 2013 Before the NYSBOE Report That the Campaign for 1NY PAC Was the Heart of Mayor's Political Operation
More de Blasio cronies eyed as feds widen corruption probe
(NYP) A top aide to Mayor de Blasio and a consulting firm that helped
him win City Hall are under investigation as part of a widening state
and federal corruption probe — all sparked by a suspected
gifts-for-favors scheme involving top NYPD brass, The Post has learned. Emma Wolfe, de Blasio’s director of intergovernmental affairs, and BerlinRosen
Public Affairs are being probed by the Manhattan DA’s Office and
federal prosecutors for their roles in fund-raising by de Blasio during
his failed 2014 bid to help fellow Democrats take over the state Senate,
multiple sources close to the investigation said. Other names probers
are asking about as they cast a widening net for possible quid-pro-quo
campaign dealings include Alison Hirsh, an official with the powerful
32BJ apartment-workers union; Natalia Salgado, who last year left 32BJ
to work for state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman; and Jason Goldman,
who at the time was a strategist for the United Federation of Teachers,
sources told The Post. Josh Gold, a former strategist for the
hotel-workers union, is also being eyed, sources said. “They’re looking
into the mayor’s fund-raising” and are “very interested in BerlinRosen
and the labor folks,” said one source.
de Blasio Defense Lawyer Who Firm Lobby's City Cancels Mayor's Fund Raiser
De Blasio’s defense lawyer cancels fund-raiser amid probe
(NYP) The criminal-defense lawyer tapped by Mayor de Blasio amid
allegations surrounding his 2013 campaign has reportedly canceled a
fund-raiser for the mayor’s re-election bid. Barry Berke postponed the
April 26 event days after de Blasio requested he contact the US
Attorney’s Office in Manhattan offering cooperation into the investigation, The Wall Street Journal reported.
“In light of my role representing the mayor’s 2013 campaign committee,
we’ve decided to postpone our event,” Berke said in an e-mail obtained
by the Journal. Meanwhile, de Blasio remained mum on whether his
administration has been contacted as part of the probe.* New York City
Mayor Bill de Blasio is no longer saying he has not been contacted by
the office of Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara in relation to two
probes that touch on his administration and campaign donors, Politico New York reports: *
A lawyer representing de Blasio’s 2013 campaign has canceled a cocktail
reception to raise money for the mayor’s 2017 re-election bid,
according to an email reviewed by the Journal
NY's
Prosecutors Ignored the Only Way to Control Citizens United: Stop the
Coordinating Between the Campaign Consultant and the PACs Why?
On October 8th, 2015, the Campaign Finance Board, Conflicts of Interest Board and AG Schneiderman fined the Advance Group for coordinating campaigns with
NYCLASS, which they controlled with campaigns they ran. No
recommendation was made for a criminal investigation of mixing PACs and
campaigns. No mention in the report answered the question why the UFT
paid Advance through a made up name "Strategic Consultants Inc." The FBI
has subpoenaed those UFT records and personal records of the union’s
president, Michael Mulgrew.
Why
was there a cover-up of the UFT's United for the Future and NYCLASS
PACs' Citizens United type violation? 1. The mayor and speaker control
all the appointments to the Campaign Finance Board and Conflicts of
Interest Board, which ignored the Advance Group violation of Citizens
United. 2. A lawyer from Laurence Laufer’s (the guy who attacked the
NYSBOE criminal referral on team de Blasio) law firm Kantor Davidoff
Wolfe, Lawrence Mandelker, is de Blasio’s lawyer for his campaign
committee and the Campaign for One NY PAC. Mandelker also was the lawyer
for the Advance Group during the CFB, AG and Conflicts of Interest
Board investigations. Mandelker is also the lawyer for the WFP in all
the Data and Field investigations.
Feds
Looking At Pay to Play Interlocking Directorates of Campaign, City Hall
PACs and Team de Blasio Consultants That Also Elected A Council
Majority and Speaker
The
campaign consultant PAC coordination was not limited to NYCLASS and
Campaign for One NY. The biggest consultant PAC coordination helped
elect 37 of the 51 members of the Council, including the Speaker. The
Advance Group was fined by the CFB for their campaign consultant Super
PACs, NYCLASS and the UFT coordination in Councilmember Cumbo and
Levine’s campaigns. The CFB ignored the fact that Berlin Rosen worked as
a lobbyist for the UFT, as well as on both the Cumbo and Levine
campaigns that Advance worked on. Berlin Rosen worked on 10 Council
campaigns while their employer, UFT, funded those 10 candidates with
their PAC United for the Future. Red Horse, a campaign consulting firm
that worked for the mayor's Campaign for One NY PAC (as did Berlin
Rosen), also worked for the UFT's PAC United for the Future and ran 7
Council campaigns that were also funded by UFT PAC. * With de Blasio's State Senate Fundraising Under Investigation, Democratic Party Leader on LISays His Committee Turned Down Similar Donation (NY1) Suffolk County Dem chair says his committee turned down a donation from teachers union over legal concerns
A Tale of Two CFBs: Albanese vs Campaign PAC NYCLASS, UFT's United for the Future
How the Advance Group Conspired to Steal the 2009 and 2013 Election
More on Dark Pool Corrupt Consultant Who Will Have to Register As Lobbyists
Media Cover-Up of NYCLASS, Other Citizens United PACs, Mayor One NY PAC
Now We Know Why the Mayor Shut Down His PAC Campaign for One NY Last Month
NY Senate GOP usedsame loophole they ripped Dems for (NYDN) The
Senate GOP vehemently complained last year that Mayor de Blasio was
skirting the state’s campaign finance laws by asking donors supporting
the Senate Democrats to give larger-than-normal donations to candidates
through upstate county Democratic committees. But in it appears the
Republicans did the same thing to the tune of $125,000 to help one of
their Long Island
candidates. Former GOP Sen. Charles Fuschillo on Sept. 15 transferred
$75,000 from his still active campaign account to the Nassau County
Republican Committee. The committee three days later transferred exactly
$75,000 to the campaign of Michael Venditto, who ultimately won the
race to fill the seat vacated by Fuschillo. Fuschillo on Oct. 10 gave
another $50,000 to the county committee, which sent Vendito the same
amount four days slater.
State Senate candidates could only receive a maximum donation of
$10,300 from individuals. But county political committees, which can
receive up to $102,300 in donations from a person, could transfer
unlimited amounts to candidates. A Republican operative compared what
Fuschillo did and what de Blasio did to “apples and oranges.” Fuschillo
was seeking to keep the seat he represented for 15 years in Republican
hands. De Blasio was encouraging big donations from downstate interests
that were designed to influence upstate races, the GOPer said.
NYSBOE the Interlocking-Directorates de Blasio’s Illegal 2014 Senate Coordinated Campaign
Now We Know Why the Mayor Shut Down His PAC Campaign for One NY Last Month
The
coordinated fundraising effort started, she said, with de Blasio, who
Sugarman noted also had created the Campaign for One New York to serve
as an “independent spending” organization to support his priorities.
“The entire (Senate) fundraising and campaign operation was run from
City Hall by de Blasio staff in coordination with unions and Campaign
For One New York officers and political consultants," Sugarman wrote.
The effort also included Emma Wolfe, the mayor’s director of
intergovernmental affairs, Offinger and Josh Gold, who at the time was
political director for the New York Hotel Trades Council and campaign
manager for Campaign for one New York,
the report says. Others said to be on the team included Jason Goldman,
the United Federation of Teachers assistant director legislation and
political action, Neal Kwatra, founder of Metropolitan Public Strategies
who was consulting for the state party, and the political consulting
firms of BerlinRosen, AKPD Messaging and Media, and Hilltop Public
Solutions. Berlin Rosen, Red Horse AKPD and Hilltop all worked for Both
the Mayor's Campaign and his PAC Campaign for One NY. Berlin Rosen and
Red Horse both work for the UFT PAC United for the Future
State BOE Team de Blasio "Willful and Flagrant Conspired to Violate the Election Law Warranting Prosecution
De Blasio teamskirted campaign donation limits; investigators found 'willful and flagrant'violations 'warranting prosecution' (NYDN)
The head investigator for the state Board of Elections probed the 2014
fundraising efforts by Mayor de Blasio and his team on behalf of the
Senate Democrats and found enough “willful and flagrant” violations to
warrant a criminal referral. The Daily News obtained a bombshell
“privileged and confidential” memo state Board of Elections Chief
Enforcement Officer Risa Sugarman sent to the board’s four commissioners
on Jan. 4, recommending the referral to the Manhattan District
Attorney’s office. The commissioners, during a closed-door vote, made
the referral on Jan. 11, sources said. The Sugarman memo paints a
picture of a coordinated effort by the mayor and his allies — dubbed by
the players involved interchangeably as “Team de Blasio” and “Team
Coordinated” — to deliberately circumvent legal campaign donation limits
in three upstate races in what turned out to be an unsuccessful effort
to help the Democrats win control of the state Senate in 2014. “I
have determined that reasonable cause exists to believe a violation
warranting criminal prosecution has taken place,” Sugarman wrote. “The
violations discovered by this investigation can only be described as
willful and flagrant.” The memo did not spell out exactly who could be
charged. Many of the potential violations would be misdemeanors — though
deliberately evading campaign donation limits could rise to a felony.
Sugarman wrote that the effort on behalf of the Dems was led by de
Blasio and his team and included a group of influential political
consultants and labor unions close to the mayor, the Senate Democratic
Campaign Committee, several of the candidates who were being helped, and
the Ulster County
and Putnam County Democratic committees. State campaign finance rules
prohibit donations of more than $10,300 to an individual candidate. But
donors can give as much as $103,000 to county political committees, and
those committees can transfer unlimited amounts of money to individual
campaigns.
But
Sugarman in her memo said that there is evidence demonstrating that the
de Blasio team coordinated its fundraising activities and intentionally
solicited significantly higher-than-allowed contributions for the three
candidates by having the checks sent to the two county committees and
the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee, which then quickly transferred
the funds to the campaigns. The move allowed the parties “to evade
contribution limits and to disguise the true names of the contributors,
conduct which may violate Election law,” she wrote. Unions like the powerful Service Employees International Union Local 1199, SEIU 32BJ, the state Nurse's Association, and the Communications Workers of America
were among those who gave big amounts to the county committees though
they never had before. Developers and powerful businessmen who had
business before the city like supermarket mogul John Catsimatidis ($50,000) and Alexis Lodde ($100,000) also gave mega contributions to the county committees.Contributions
to the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee were identified as
originating from the mayor's team by having them sent in care of
Offinger. Some of the checks included notations such as "donation per
Mayor" in the memo line, Sugarman found. Sugarman’s office subpoenaed
documents from the various campaign bank accounts and five political
consultants involved in those races — BerlinRosen LTD, Mark Guma Communication, the Parkside Group, AKPD Message and Media LLC, and Red Horse Strategies, according to the memo.
Laundering Money Though GOP and Dem Upstate County Committees is Normal for Corrupt Albany
Cats Gets Caught In de Blasio Campaign Slush Fund Investigation
NYP Says Cats Was Lobbying City Hall for Bio Fuel When He Gave the 50,000 That Wound Up in Putnam Helping the Dems
Billionaire supermarket mogul-turned-radio host John Catsimatidis will run for NYC mayor – again.
De Blasio hit up Catsimatidis for donations while he lobbied city (NYP) While
Mayor de Blasio was soliciting campaign contributions from
billionaire John Catsimatidis, lobbyists for one of the tycoon’s
companies were pushing to secure legislation that could mean big bucks,
in a potential conflict of interest, critics charged Sunday. Energy
mogul Catsimatidis stands to make a killing — estimated to be
in the tens of millions of dollars a year — as the City Council and the
de Blasio administration move to approve legislation to dramatically
boost the use of biodiesel fuel in home heating oil, The Post has
learned. Catsimatidis, who owns United Metro Energy Corp., is building a
new
biodiesel-processing facility in Greenpoint, and was already awarded a
$62 million contract last year that provided city government with
“heating oil, bio-blend and bio-heat bulk deliveries,” records show. The
biofuel push comes after de Blasio hit up Catsimatidis for a
$50,000 donation to try to flip the state Senate from Republican to
Democratic control in 2014. At that time, city record show a lobbyist
firm for United Metro
Energy — Connelly, McLaughlin and Woloz — were dealing with the mayor’s
office on “long-term planning and sustainability” issues.* While de Blasio was soliciting campaign contributions from billionaire
John Catsimatidis, lobbyists for one of the tycoon’s companies were
pushing to secure legislation that could mean big bucks, in a potential
conflict of interest, critics charged.* While Mayor Bill de Blasio was
soliciting campaign contributions from billionaire John Catsimatidis,
lobbyists for one of the tycoon’s companies were pushing for legislation
that could mean big bucks, in a potential conflict of interest, the Post reports.* A person with knowledge of the
subpoena received by Cuomo’s administration said it seeks information on
any actions taken by executive chamber officials that may have
benefited several developers, the Times Union reports.
de Blasio Said Since I Used My PAC CONY to Raise $$$ Sent to the Putnam Committee ALL LEGAL
Feds eyeing de Blasio's fundraising "as a potential corrupt organization," that the whole "mechanism is corrupt."
Mayor's Lawyer Blasts JCOPE of Being Political SO All Prosecutors Have Political Roots Even Some Lawyers Like Laufer de Blasio Lawyer
What is Bill deBlasio hiding? The mayor must answer huge questions about politicaldonations and official actions (NYDN) All lawyered up, Mayor de Blasio vows
that federal and state investigations will show that “everything was done
legally and appropriately” with hundreds of thousands of dollars raised and
spent by his Campaign for One New York and his 2014 bid to put the state Senate
in Democratic hands. Now, though, de Blasio’s campaign attorney is again
raising the specter of a gubernatorial conspiracy as he notified the state
ethics commission that the mayor will no longer cooperate with a probe into
potential improper lobbying. Rather than
respond to a subpoena for information about donations to the Campaign for One
New York, lawyer Laurence Laufer accused the state Joint Commission on Public
Ethics of “a blatantly political exercise by an agency whose very independence
is deeply in question.” Stonewalling questions about all the money that de
Blasio sloshed here and there is just nuts. What’s to hide, Mr. Mayor? Having
asked that question, fairness demands noting that JCOPE has often been a puzzle
palace of unexplained enforcement and misguided attempts to expand its
authority. Regardless, the mayor is defying a lawfully constituted
investigative authority. Even if a judge agrees with him, he will have lost in
the court of public opinion. One
question is whether de Blasio’s committee engaged in unreported lobbying —
which is separate and apart from whether the mayor or aides crossed ethical or
legal lines in hitting up en trepreneurs like ATMs.* De Blasio blames ‘voices of status quo’ at Sharpton rally (PoliticoNY) de Blasio told a mostly black crowd in Harlem on Saturday
that "voices of the status quo” would “find many many ways to undermine
progress, to stand in the way of progress.” The remarks at the
Rev. Al Sharpton’s weekly gathering came amid at least five
investigations into the mayor's administration and his fundraising
activities. De Blasio referred generally to an "opposition" that can be expected “when you make change.”
Nonprofit advancing de Blasio will stop cooperating with a state ethics investigation @WSJ
- Smart, when Jail awaits
Since the state attorney general and local district
attorneys must run for public office, all of the state's top prosecutors must
rely on corrupting influence of campaign consultants and campaign donors to win
elected office. Once a prosecutor relies on the advice of campaign
consultants, that opens the door to potential lobbying, because, in New York, campaign
consultants often double as lobbyists. Political consultant Red Horse
worked for Brooklyn DA Thompson campaign along with Berlin Rosen. Both Red
Horse and Advance Group worked for the UFT's PAC United for the Future (the UFT
attempted to covering up Advance involvement by paying them through a fake
company) Red Horse worked for Manhattan DA. Red Horse worked for Brooklyn BP
Adams, Bronx BP Diaz and PA James. Red Horse worked for Manhattan DA Cy Vance.
Red Horse worked for Pitta Bishop for Brooklyn BP Adams. Red Horse worked with
George Arzt in the Queens BP campaign. Berlin Rosen not only help elected
Schneiderman to his AG position, both it partners worked for him when he was
state senator. * Preet Bharara has become well-known in New York for
prosecuting the state’s top political players. This month, the Manhattan U.S.
attorney might
be better known as the hottest ticket in town when it comes to
law-school commencement speakers.
Who Watchers the Watchman, Lobbyists, Grand Jury, AG - DAs Conflict of Interests With NYPD and Elected Officials
Subpoenas Fly At City Hall
De Blasio oncontroversial nonprofit: We followed ‘broken laws’ (NYP)
Mayor de Blasio on Friday staunchly defended setting up a controversial
nonprofit that took large contributions from special interests to
advance his agenda, saying he was following the broken “laws of the
game.” De Blasio said he set up the Campaign for One New York because
the lack of spending limits in politics necessitates funding to get the
message out — even though he’d prefer greater restrictions. “For now,
the challenge is that these are laws of the game,” he said on WNYC radio.
“This is the reality of today’s political system . . . But until we put
some real limits on spending again, sometimes to achieve something we
have to have the resources to get the message across.” Mayor de Blasio
on Friday staunchly defended setting up a controversial nonprofit that
took large contributions from special interests to advance his agenda,
saying he was following the broken “laws of the game.” De Blasio said he
set up the Campaign for One New York because the lack of spending
limits in politics necessitates funding to get the message out — even
though he’d prefer greater restrictions. “For now, the challenge is
that these are laws of the game,” he said on WNYC radio.
“This is the reality of today’s political system . . . But until we put
some real limits on spending again, sometimes to achieve something we
have to have the resources to get the message across.”
Who Guards the (DA) Guards Themselves?
Berlin
Rosen Worked for the AG, Red Horse Worked for the Manhattan, Bronx,
Brooklyn and Staten Island DAs, Mark Guma Worked for the Manhattan and
Queens DA Red Horse. Berlin Rosen, Mark Guma and Red Horse are Under Federal Investigation and Manhattan DA
Subpoenas Fly At City Hall
Progressive de Blasio I Used A Loophole in the "Broken Election Law" to Set Up My Slush Fund PAC
The
Interlocking-Directorates Between de Blasio's Lawyer Kanter Davidoff
and Wolfe and The Law Firms Lobbying City Hall Operation
- de Blasio’s Law Firm Kantor Davidoff Wolfe lawyer Laufer, Lawrence is attacking the NYS Board of Election Chief Enforcement Officer Risa Sugarman allegations of a “willful and flagrant” effort to circumvent campaign contribution limits by Team de Blasio.
- Election lawyer Lawrence Mandelker works for the mayor;s Campaign for One NY PAC
- Mandelker works for the mayor campaign committee
- Kantor Davidoff Wolfe Lobbyists for Dozens of Clients That Need Government Favors From Mayor de Blasio
- Mandelker represented the Advance Group on its Illegal work in the race that made Mark-Viverito the council speaker before the CFB and Conflict Boards that the Mayor controls
6 Mandelker
was about to get a penny fine by both the CFB and Conflict of Interest
Group for Advance’s Illegal Consultant Work to Make Melissa
Mark-Viverito Council Speaker
7 de Blasio’s lawyer Mandelker Represented Advance Group before the CFB and Conflict of Interested Board that de Blasio Controls
8 Mandelker Represents the WFP that supported de Blasio Data and Field legal problems
9 (10)
de Blasio picks have the members of the CFB and Conflict of Interests
Boards and Got the Mark-Viverito elected as Council Speaker who controls
the other half of the picks
11.
The Advance Group worked with Bertha Lewis one of the founders of the
WFP When Data and Fields which supported de Blasio for Public Advocate
was created. A newspaper report at the time stated there were few walls
between ACORN and the WFP and Data and Fields
de Blasio and the NYT's Play Dumb Blame Politics Like Nixon Did During Watergate
de Blasio's Media Bodyguard NYT Silent During Biggest Scandal Since Manus and Friedman
Report on de Blasio Election Spending Is Full of Details and Holes
(NYT) Risa Sugarman accuses Mayor Bill de Blasio’s team of flagrant
violations with regard to gifts to county Democratic committees but
ignores gifts to the state committee.
Rattled de Blasio plays dumb on scandals, walks out on reporters (NYP) A rattled Mayor de Blasio abruptly cut short a press conference Monday after he struggled with questions about the snowballing scandals threatening his administration. Hizzoner insisted his staff did not break fund-raising laws and whined that he was a victim of politics — before dodging questions and scampering away from reporters after an event in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. “It’s outrageous,” the mayor said of allegations his team violated campaign-finance laws. “And again, I don’t know what’s motivating it.” De Blasio was speaking a day after his lawyer blasted the leak of a government document that alleged criminality in the mayor’s fund-raising efforts. The report was penned by Gov. Cuomo ally and state Board of Elections counsel Risa Sugarman, who said there were “willful and flagrant” violations of campaign-finance laws by the mayor and his political team. De Blasio’s lawyer Laurence Laufer said the leak was a political attack, — but stopped short of saying who was behind it. “I think he raised real concerns about whether that was the case,” de Blasio said, although he ducked when asked if he thought Cuomo was behind the leak. The mayor then seemed to contradict himself when addressing a Post report that his administration knew about a real-estate deal on the Lower East Side side that turned into a windfall investment for one of his backers. “I don’t have any reason to believe that is accurate,” he said. “But again, a full investigation is going on, and when we see the whole total, then we’ll speak to it.” * De Blasio, Denying Misdeeds Again, Says Claims May Be Drivenby Politics (NYT)
To Team de Blasio the Election Law is Full of Loop-Holes to Be Used to Make Pay to Plan Money and Gain Power
Feds Investigate de Blasio Using Straw Donors in 2013 Pre DEB Campaign for One NY Money Transfer to Putnam and Beyond
The news website noted a handful of unusual donations to de
Blasio in 2013:
- Two drivers for a Queens beauty product wholesaler, Primary One LLC, gave almost $10,000 to the future mayor. They were reimbursed for going over the $9,900 limit ($4,950 twice).
- One of those truck drivers, Rafael Zepeda, who lives in a third-floor walk-up in Corona, gave the max $4,500 to de Blasio’s transition committee after his election to office.
- Records showed that Primary One LLC president Sm-Ali Amanollahi, his relatives, employees and associates chipped in $55,000 to de Blasio’s campaign between October 2013 and December 2013.
- A Bronx landlord denied giving de Blasio $4,500, despite records of his donation.
Meanwhile, the mayor is throwing serious legal muscle at the
state and federal investigations into his campaign’s financing tactics. The Law
Department has contracted two top-tier law firms to help with the case. “As
part of our cooperation with law enforcement inquiries, the Law Department has
contracted with the law firms Debevoise & Plimpton as well as Carter
Ledyard & Milburn to represent the City and assist in document collection
and review,” the department said in a statement. “The lawyers have been in
touch with the US Attorney’s Office to advance that cooperation.” The mayor has
also retained Barry Berke of Kramer Levin “to assist in all efforts to
cooperate with authorities and ensure they have all the information they need
to bring these investigations to a prompt conclusion,” the department said. City
funds will not be used to cover de Blasio’s legal expenses, according to
officials in the mayor’s office.* Federal Probe EyesPossible Straw Donors to De Blasio Campaign, Sources Say (DNAINFO) Records show that Amanollahi and his relatives have also
given at least $17,700 to state Sen. Adriano Espaillat’s congressional and
state Senate campaigns and $55,000 to state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
DNAinfo previously reported that a Bronx
landlord who lost $1.9 million in a Ponzi
scheme that is connected to the federal probe of the mayor’s fundraising and an
alleged pay-for-favors scheme involving NYPD brass also donated on
that date. Records show Gerald Leibman also gave the maximum $4,500
contribution to de Blasio’s transition team. However, he told DNAinfo that he
never made a donation to de Blasio. Hamlet Peralta, who owned a Harlem restaurant popular with uptown politicians and
NYPD brass and is accused
of running the $12 million Ponzi scheme, also tried to donate $4,950
to de Blasio’s campaign on Oct. 3, 2013, but his check bounced. The feds
arrested Peralta last month, charging him with one count of wire fraud.* The feds and the Manhattan DA are now
probing whether straw donors contributed to de Blasio’s 2013 campaign
for City Hall. Investigators want to know if people were reimbursed or given
cash to pass along to the campaign in their names, in an effort by the actual
donors to avoid the city’s $4,950 cap on individual contribution, sources said.
Will Team de Blasio Will Get Away With Violating the Election Law Remember A 25 Years Old Woman, Liu's Treasure is in Jail for Doing the Same Thing on A Much Smaller Level
25-year
old Jia Hou John Liu campaign treasure was convicted of willfully
participating in a campaigning scheme involving “straw donors” in order
to make illegal contributions above the $4,950 limit authorized by the
New York City Campaign Finance Board In a statement, * U.S. Preet Bharara says,
"As the jury found, Jia Hou and Oliver Pan stuck a knife into the heart
of New York City's campaign finance law by violating the prohibition
against illegal campaign contributions, all to corruptly advantage the
campaign of a candidate for city-wide office."US attorney's full statement on Oliver Pan/Jenny Hou convictions * Major blow to mayoral hopeful John Liu: Ex-aides guilty of conspiring to violate campaign finance laws(NYDN) * Jury convicts 2 associates of city comptroller(WABC) * John Liu's Former Aide and Donor Found Guilty in Federal Court(Politico) * Comptroller John Liu's ex-associates convicted(Fox 5 John Liu’s Former Aide and Donor Found Guilty in Federal Court(NYO) * Former Liu Associates Convicted in Fund-Raising Case(NYT) * John Liu ‘Deeply Saddened’ by Guilty Verdicts but Vows to Soldier On(NYO)
Team de Blasio Says Cuomo Aide Knew About the Laundering $$$
Cuomo aide was aware of investigated Senate fundraising arrangement (PoliticoNY)
A former top aide to Governor Andrew Cuomo was included on a July 2014
memo that outlined a coordinated fundraising effort to help Democratic
candidates for the state Senate, and on subsequent email updates about
that effort, according to sources who have seen those documents. The
coordinated campaign — spearheaded by Mayor Bill de Blasio and his
allies — is now the subject of a criminal inquiry, following a referral
by Risa Sugarman, the chief enforcement counsel at the New York State
Board of Elections, who was appointed by Cuomo. The July 2014 memo,
written by campaign lawyer Laurence Laufer, who was retained to
represent some of the parties involved in the effort, detailed how the
coordinated campaign would be structured and run, and how it intended to
comply with existing state election law. The recipients of the memo
included Joe Percoco, a longtime Cuomo loyalist who served as a top aide
to the governor until last year, and the state Democratic Party
Committee, which is effectively controlled by the governor.*
A former top aide to Gov. Andrew Cuomo was included in memos that
outlined a coordinated fundraising effort to help Democratic candidates
for the state Senate, now the subject of a criminal inquiry with de
Blasio at the center, Politico New York reports:Will Team de Blasio Will Get Away With Violating the Election Law Remember A 25 Years Old Woman, Liu's Treasure is in Jail for Doing the Same Thing on A Much Smaller Level
de Blasio and City Lawyer-Up for Corruption Fighter Bharara With City Paying Most of the Bill and de Blasio's Campaign Paying the Rest
de Blasio and City Lawyer-Up to Battle Corruption Fighter Bharara
de Blasio Blames Everyone But Himself
Bill de Blasio again blames everyone but his own bungling hires (NYP
Ed) Corruption or just incompetence? It’s too soon to say just what
explains Team de Blasio’s OK of the Rivington House flip that allowed a
developer to close a nursing home and score a $72 million profit. The
only thing that’s perfectly clear is City Hall isn’t coming clean. On
Monday, Mayor de Blasio said he doesn’t “think” a Post exposé on the affair is
“accurate.” He cited no specifics — lucky for him, since on Tuesday
both Politico and The Wall Street Journal confirmed key elements of The
Post’s story. What we do know is that City Hall was aware of the problem
— and tried to fix it — before the news broke. And we know city
managers at the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, or DCAS,
agreed to lift the deed restriction that preserved the nursing home —
for a mere $16.1 million fee. More: They went ahead even after The
Allure Group repeatedly warned that so high a fee would leave it unable
to keep the health-care facility going. Yet the mayor now insists
Allure “lied” about its intentions. It seems City Hall awoke to the
problem after the mayor moved Stacey Cumberbatch out as head of DCAS in
January, apparently having realized she wasn’t up to the job. In
February, James Patchett — chief of staff to Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen —
suddenly started trying to undo the Rivington House deal. Too late:
Allure had already sold. The mayor insists he heard nothing about it
until the Journal broke the story in March. If so, his subordinates must
fear to send bad news up the line — another big management problem. Yet
the mayor’s pointing fingers at The Post and at Allure’s “lies” — and
not at the bungling by people he himself hired. Will de Blasio ever
admit anything is his own fault?
Pay to Play is Legal de Blasio Lawyer Wiley
Team de Blasio’s pathetic defense of its sleazy sale of City Hall (NYP) Even as Shelly Silver was drawing a 12-year stint in the slammer for selling his office, Team de Blasio on Tuesday was all but admitting it did much the same — and actually defending the practice. Raising cash for a mayoral slush fund from “people who do business with the city” is perfectly OK, insisted Mayor de Blasio’s counsel, Maya Wiley. She cited a 2014 Conflicts of Interest Board letter banning only funds from folks with matters “pending” before City Hall. See the difference? Neither do we. Wiley was trying to justify the boatloads of cash dumped on Hizzoner’s Campaign for One New York by folks who do business with the city or need special favors — and the actions City Hall took to benefit them. Tuesday, NY1 reported that CONY got “at least 60 donations” from parties “that had business with” or were “directly lobbying” the city or unions with city contracts. A real-estate developer won a variance for a building and handed over $10,000 three days later. SEIU Local 1199 came up with $250,000 and got a nice contract with the city just months later. Stephen Nislick, Wendy Neu and NYCLASS (the forces behind de Blasio’s drive to ban horse carriages) were big givers, too. No, de Blasio & Co. doesn’t admit it sold favors to donors.
to use a typical
Jimmy Breslin line about DEB, "he'll be forever known as shakedown Bill"
Dear Bill: Just Because Cuomo is Out to Get You Doesn’t Mean You’re Not Guilty
Is there no end 2 conflicts of interest in DEB administration? City Hall Official Got OK to Work Part Time for De Blasio Pal Under Probe (DNAINFO)
de Blasio Uses the One NY PACs to Get Around the Public Funding Ban on Corp Donations
Up 20% in 14 and Berlin Rosen is Not Even A Registered Lobbyist
Subpoenas Fly At City Hall: Wolfe, Berlin Rosen and Treasurer Offinger
Friday Historians can’t find a New York City mayor who, along with his administration and inner circle, was the subject of as many simultaneous investigations as Mayor Bill de Blasio now faces, The New York Times writes inan explainer of the investigations:
De Blasio staffers slapped with subpoenas as scandal deepens (NYP) A top aide to Mayor de Blasio, one of his key fund-raisers and a consulting firm that helped develop his winning campaign strategy have been slapped with subpoenas as part of the widening corruption scandal swirling around Hizzoner, according to a new report Wednesday. Other political consultants and firms tied to the mayor also received subpoenas, but a spokeswoman declined to say if de Blasio was himself served with legal papers, according to the Wall Street Journal. The subpoenas demand records related to de Blasio’s failed fund-raising effort to help Democrats win control of the state Senate in 2014, which a state Board of Elections official has said involved “willful and flagrant” violations of campaign-finance laws, sources told the Journal.
Team de Blasio Kaminsky Just Can't Stop Laudering Money to State Committees
Note: the Investigative Work On this Story Was Done By Bragg at the Times Union
In Senate battle, de Blasio fundraiser raised untraceable$50K (Chris Bragg, Times Union) Democrats benefit from untraceable donation in race for Skelos' old seat Days before the April 19 special election on Long Island to replace ex-Senate Republican Majority Leader Dean Skelos, de Blasio's chief fundraiser procured a publicly untraceable $50,000 donation to a local political party that was backing Democratic Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky * De Blasio tied to ‘untraceable’ $50K for Kaminsky campaign (NYP) Mayor de Blasio’s top money man funneled $50,000 of “publicly untraceable” campaign cash to help a Long Island Democrat win a crucial race for the state Senate, according to a report Monday night. Ross Offinger, de Blasio’s campaign finance director and treasurer of his now-shut advocacy group Campaign for One New York, was behind the windfall, which he donated through a shadowy Delaware corporation, according to the Albany Times-Union. Mayor de Blasio’s top money man funneled $50,000 of “publicly untraceable” campaign cash to help a Long Island Democrat win a crucial race for the state Senate, according to a report Monday night. Offinger, already under scrutiny for fund-raising activities involving de Blasio, sent the money to the Nassau County Democratic Committee, which was backing Todd Kaminsky, the Times Union said. Kaminsky edged out Republican Chris McGrath by 780 votes in the April 19 special election to fill the seat formerly held by convicted Republican Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos. The funds were wired to the committee’s account by a Delaware company named A&J Contracting, the paper said, so there was no check signature or paper trail. That company, however, has no phone number or Web site. It also had not made a donation to a political party or candidate before the $50,000 gift. A spokesman for the Nassau Democratic Party confirmed to the Times-Union that the money was actually raised by Offinger. It was not clear how Offinger — who was paid $14,000 by the Nassau Democrats for fund-raising — garnered the money. “I really don’t have a comment on specific donors, but I’m proud of the work we did in Nassau County,” Offinger told the paper. Offinger is currently being probed by US Attorney Preet Bharara in a widening investigation into campaign financing. De Blasio, meanwhile, is being investigated along with his top aides for “willful andflagrant” violations of campaign-finance law. It has been alleged that the mayor steered $1 million in union and corporate donations to three upstate Democrats running for state Senate seats in 2014.* The probe into de Blasio’s fundraising efforts for state Senate Democrats could make an already unpopular mayor even more toxic in Albany and doom many items critically important to the city, the Daily News writes: * Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan found himself defending his performance in the state’s budget negotiations after the Republicans’ push to retain the seat vacated by former Majority Leader Dean Skelos fell short, Politico New York reports: * If Todd Kaminsky is looking for a place to start cleaning up Albany, he need look no further than his own backyard, where he received $50,000 from a seemingly-anonymous donor for his state Senate campaign, the Times Union writes:
Since 2009 the Media had Ignored Team de Blasio Laundering Campaign Funds Inside City Hall
City Hall backed campaigns with series of checks to ‘dodge’ limits (NYP) Bill de Blasio and his team brazenly ran political campaigns straight out of City Hall, according to state investigators. The
big-money donors would cut six-digit checks to county Democratic
committees, which would then send the money to the campaigns, thus
circumventing legal caps on contributions. “The entire fund-raising and
campaign operation was run from City Hall by de Blasio staff,” read the
stunning findings by Risa Sugarman, chief enforcement counsel for the
state Board of Elections. The blockbuster memo recommended the case be
prosecuted by the Manhattan district
attorney but did not single out who should be charged. A rep for
Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. declined to comment on
Saturday. While Sugarman’s memo focused on the evasion of contribution
limits, it also raised the shocking spectre of violations of city
conflict-of-interest laws, which prohibit public servants from helping
political candidates while working on the taxpayer dime or on city
equipment. “I don’t ever recall reading or hearing about anything like
that — someone saying the mayor of New York raising campaign funds right
out of City Hall,” said veteran New York political consultant and
former Ed Koch aide Jerry Skurnik.
“This would be a first in my memory.” Back in 2014, Igor Oberman — a former counsel at New York City’s
Taxi and Limousine Commission — was fined $7,500 for using his TLC
office and phone to run his City Council campaign. State probers noted
that de Blasio’s legislative director, Emma Wolfe, orchestrated an Aug.
25, 2014, meeting with state Senate candidate Justin Wagner and UFT boss
Michael Mulgrew about Wagner’s campaign.
How de Blasio Grew His Pay to Play Machine from ACORN Data and Field
How de Blasio Grew His Pay to Play Machine from ACORN Data and Field
De Blasio on Defense (City Journal) The Gotham mayor’s
tangled web of money, power, and influence could finally be unraveling.
The Working Families Party was a late-nineties creation of labor unions
and the now-defunct Acorn (Association of Community Organizations for
Reform Now.) Taking advantage of New York’s
fusion-voting system that allows candidates to run on multiple ballot
lines, the WFP gained traction in the 2000s by endorsing liberal
“up-ballot” Democrats, and then encouraging people to vote the WFP line
in order to maintain ballot position. Its goal, even then, was to wrest
the state senate from Republicans’ decades-long control. The WFP
leveraged its expertise in door-to-door campaigning to develop a superb
political field operation that excelled at identifying likely voters and
turning them out on Election Day. Funded heavily by public-sector labor
unions such as DC 37 (municipal workers), the UFT (teachers), and SEIU
1199 (hospital workers), the WFP has become a major force in New York politics. It now has branches in New Jersey, Connecticut,
and other states. In 2008, after Democrats briefly took control of the
state senate, the WFP decided to spin off its field and electoral
operations into a subsidiary,
Data and Field Services (DFS), which could hire itself out on a
for-profit basis to WFP-backed campaigns. DFS’s actual purpose seems to
have been the reallocation of resources and personnel among the WFP’s
candidates, and to enable coordination between campaigns—all of which is
illegal, according to New York City’s
campaign-finance laws. De Blasio’s involvement with the WFP and Acorn
is longstanding. “Without exaggeration, Acorn’s long-range plan since
2001 was to elect de Blasio mayor,” an anonymous Democrat told the New York Post in 2013. In 2006, then-city councilman de Blasio hired himself out for $33,000 to a group called “Progressive America Foundation” for some obscure lobbying services. The foundation operated out of the WFP’s offices. And, in 2009, de Blasio was DFS’s biggest client,
paying the organization nearly $200,000 during his run for public
advocate. Even as the WFP expanded its reach, operatives from Acorn and
the New York state
senate Democratic political organization went into business for
themselves. Acorn veterans Jonathan Rosen and Valerie Berlin—chief of
staff to then-state senator, now-attorney general Eric Schneiderman—formed consulting firm BerlinRosen. Doug Forand, Marc Lapidus, and Nathan Smith, the senate Democrats’ brain trust, formed Red Horse Strategies. These firms have prospered richly under the WFP/de Blasio ascendancy, together booking more than $6 million in
consulting fees for the 2013 municipal elections alone. But these
outfits don’t limit themselves to helping politicians get elected: they
also serve as consultants to
labor unions, real-estate development corporations, and issue-based
organizations—all seeking access to the halls of power. Neither
BerlinRosen nor Red Horse is obligated to disclose the fees it collects,
since neither calls itself a “lobbyist.”
De Blasio reportedly spends hours per day talking to Rosen, who was
also Sheldon Silver’s longtime adviser. Both claim that they never mix
business with politics. Four out of the city’s five district attorneys,
as well as the state attorney general, are clients of these same
consulting firms, so it is no surprise that this web of interconnections
has become a federal matter. Consultants have turned New York’s
political system inside out. They control the flow of money from their
private clients to candidates who are forced to hire them, with the
mayor’s office allegedly acting as a go-between. The mayor’s
spokesperson insists that the “letter of the law” has
been observed. Such legalistic language will be cold comfort to New
Yorkers who expect the mayor to aspire to more than staying just inside
the border of criminality—assuming he has done so.
Flashback: Mayor's Top Aide Emma Wolfe Continues to Stonewall Data and Field Investigators
Two Charged in Campaign Finance Case(WSJ) De Blasio Aide Backs Out of Speaking With Special Prosecutor. Emma
Wolfe, director of intergovernmental affairs in the de Blasio
administration, was tentatively scheduled to speak with the special
prosecutor on the case, Robert Bennet Adler, next week, the person said.
Emma
Wolfe, director of intergovernmental affairs in the de Blasio
administration, was tentatively scheduled to speak with the special
prosecutor on the case, Robert Bennet Adler, next week, the person said.
But in recent days, Ms. Wolfe’s attorney informed Mr. Adler’s office
that she wouldn’t voluntarily speak with the prosecutor, the person
said. The session was to be part of an agreement in which Ms. Wolfe
would speak to the special prosecutor with the assurance that the
information couldn’t be used against her, the person said.
Ms.
Wolfe declined to comment through a representative. In an interview,
Mr. Adler accused the defendants in the case of “gaming” the city’s
campaign-finance system in which small political donations from private
individuals are matched with public funds. Ms. Wolfe, who hasn’t been
accused of wrongdoing, isn’t the only member of the de Blasio
administration connected to the case. Camille Rivera, a deputy
commissioner in the city’s Department of Homeless Services, provided
information as part of the investigation, the person familiar with the
matter said. An attorney for Ms. Rivera declined to comment. Mr. Adler
declined to discuss Ms. Wolfe’s and Ms. Rivera’s role in the
investigation, but he did say the probe didn’t involve any alleged
impropriety related to Ms. Wolfe’s or Ms. Rivera’s work since they
joined the de Blasio administration this year. Ms. Wolfe was a key
player in Mr. de Blasio’s 2009 campaign for public advocate and served
as his chief of staff when he was in that position. She previously
worked as an organizing and field director for the Working Families
Party. Ms. Rivera, a longtime labor operative of Mr. de Blasio, previously worked for UnitedNY, an advocacy group.
Today
the Media Protect the Corrupt Political Bosses, Ignaoring the Unfair
Advantage Data and Field Gave Candidates in 2009, or PACs in 2013
The CFB Should Deny de Blasio’s 2017 Matching Funds Just Like They Did In 2013 for John Liu Mayoral Campaign
Update: de Blasio Starts the Lawyering Up De Blasio tells his campaign lawyer to contact prosecutor(CrainsNY) The mayor instructed Barry Berke, the attorney for his 2013 bid, to offer 'help' to Bharara in reported probe
Baghdad William Wilhelm de Blasio "We’ve Done From the Beginning is Legal and Appropriate”
The CFB Should Deny de Blasio’s 2017 Matching Funds Just Like They Did In 2013 for John Liu Mayoral Campaign
The
Campaign Finance Board must rule that the mayor’s Campaign for One NY
PAC was set up to re-elect the mayor in 2017. Once they rule that the
PAC was a de Blasio illegal campaign tool and must deny the mayor CFB
matching funds like they did in 2013 to John Liu for Illegal Campaign
Activity. Be Confident that All the Candidates Running Against the Mayor
Will Demand the CFB Does Not Give Any Matching Funds to de Blasio
John Liu Gets 'DeathPenalty' From Campaign Finance Board (DNAIFO Aug 5th
2013) The New York City Campaign Finance Board unanimously decided not
to award Comptroller John Liu’s mayoral campaign millions in public
funding on Monday, over what it said were pervasive questions about the
campaign’s fundraising practices. The board’s decision dealt a
significant blow to a mayoral campaign that has struggled to overcome a
federal investigation and trial over its fundraising practices, even as
the candidate has maintained his innocence and no charges have been
filed against him. “[T]here is reason to believe that violations of the
[campaign finance laws] and Board rules have been committed by his
campaign,” Rev. Joseph Parkes, the board’s chair, said, reading from a
statement. “The evidence suggests that the potential violations are
serious and pervasive across the campaign’s fundraising.” In May, two
Liu campaign staffers were convicted in Manhattan Federal Court of
attempted wire fraud after an undercover FBI operation caught them
trying to skirt campaign finance laws. Connor testified to the board
that the Liu campaign had returned 35 donations and maintained that Liu
and his campaign knew nothing of the violations.
Baghdad William Wilhelm de Blasio "We’ve Done From the Beginning is Legal and Appropriate”
De Blasio dodges questions amid corruption probe — again (NYP)
A weary Mayor de Blasio — with growing bags under his eyes — trotted
out tired talking points on Thursday even as he was barraged by a fresh
round of questions about the investigation into his fund-raising. “Guys,
as I’ve said many times, we hold ourselves to the highest standard of
integrity. Everything we’ve done from the beginning is legal and
appropriate,” de Blasio told a swarm of reporters in Midtown. “There’s
an investigation going on. We’re going to fully cooperate with that
investigation. We look forward to the speedy conclusion of it, but we’ll
fully cooperate. But since there is an investigation, I can’t go into
any details,” he added.* 'VERY VERY COMFORTABLE': Mayor de Blasio blasé on 'legal and appropriate' fund-raising activity as aides subpoenaed (NYDN) * It’s Time for ‘Honest’ Bill de Blasio to Tell New York the Truth (Daily Beast)
A Tale of Two CFBs: Albanese vs Campaign PAC NYCLASS, UFT's United for the Future
Who Watchers the Watchman, Lobbyists, Grand Jury, AG - DAsConflict of Interests With NYPD and Elected Officials
Who Watchers the Watchman, Lobbyists, Grand Jury, AG - DAsConflict of Interests With NYPD and Elected Officials
Dark Pools Lobbyists Campaign Consultants and Money
The Media Cover Up of Citizens United
8 Lobbyists Consultants and Citizen United
The Media Cover Up of Citizens United
8 Lobbyists Consultants and Citizen United
Advance Group
Why Citizen United Type Violations Will Force Mayor de Blasio to Resign RICO
The Press Follows the Mayor's Spin like a Dog Follows a Bone
Court
watchers believe in this unprecedented investigation that the U.S
Attorney has two legal options use the Citizen United Supreme Court
ruling which has not been applied to state elections or use the federal
RICO Act. The Feds are looking at how team de Blasio planned to
violated campaign spending limits by coordinating PACs, straw campaign
committees and consulting work for their people. The NYSBOE’s report
says that the fund-raising effort was run out of Mr. de Blasio’s City
Hall and involved Emma Wolfe, his top political aide, and Ross Offinger,
a fund-raiser for the mayor’s election campaign as well as the Campaign
for One New York, a nonprofit created by Mr. de Blasio to support his
agenda.
Albany Election Lawyers Use Their Power to Elected Puppets to Create Loop-Hole Election Laws to Make Millions From Pay to Play Lobbying
While
the State Board says the CONY is acting like a super PAC the mayor
says CONY isn't a registered political committee or IE (independent
expenditure committee). You have Offinger and Berlin Rosen both working
for the CONY raising money for the 2014 senate candidate. Then they
take the money pleaded as move them through the Putnam party committee.
Then both Berlin Rosen and Red Horse who both work for CONY get hired
by someone to run the campaign the money was targeted by the mayor for.
What the mayor did was have his CONY PAC raise money and pass the money
through a straw contributors and committee to hire the the consultant
who work for CONY to avoid the Citizen United law. The feds can decide
the straw committee was to avoid the law. * Mayor's Nonprofit May Have Violated Directive from City'sConflict of Interest Board (NY1)
It was one of the first things Bill de Blasio did when he became mayor.
Eight days into his administration, he got a letter from the city's
Conflicts of Interest Board, the agency overseeing ethical conduct for
local elected officials. It granted the mayor approval to fundraise for
his newly established nonprofit group that was pushing his agenda, the
Campaign for One New York. Of course, there was a catch. De Blasio could
not solicit donations for that nonprofit from "anyone with a matter
pending or about to be pending’" before the city. The letter went on to
say quote: “It is the Board’s conclusion that, as applied to the mayor,
the 'agency' referred to is the entire executive branch…”
The Press Follows the Mayor's Spin like a Dog Follows a Bone
As
usual, the weak press is taking its clues from the mayor's spin doctor
lobbyists and ignoring the facts. The mayor has got his lawyers and
media puppets and even Common Cause all singing that the governor is
also laundering money though party committees to get around election law
spending limits.* De Blasio again denied criminal
wrongdoing in his campain’s fundraising activities weren’t illegal and
said that he thought he was being singled out in a series of
investigations by people and organizations that don’t agree with his
policies.
FBI is Looking How the Mayor's PACs Used Straw Committees to Avoid Spending Limits in Campaigns That His PAC Consultants Ran
Albany Election Lawyers Use Their Power to Elected Puppets to Create Loop-Hole Election Laws to Make Millions From Pay to Play Lobbying
US Attorney Preet Bharara
Berlin Rosen Who Was Paid By the Putnam de Blasio Fund That is Being Investigated By the FBI Said the Efforts Were In Accordance With the Law
But
donors can give as much as $103,000 to county political committees, and
those committees can transfer unlimited amounts of money to individual
campaigns. De Blasio spokesman Dan Levitan said Wednesday that “we are
confident that at all times all of our efforts were appropriate and in
accordance with the law.”Catsimatidis told the News in 2014 that he
donated $50,000 to the Putnam County Democratic Committee after de
Blasio himself made the ask. He
said a day after he spoke to the mayor, de Blasio’s former campaign
finance director, Ross Offinger, followed up to say where to donate and
how much. Offinger, the Times reported Tuesday, has been questioned by
FBI agents. “I
disclosed that a year and a half ago,” he said of the donations. “I
never knew the money was going to be diverted to the Democratic Senate.”
He said he found out “by accident” after a Senate Democrat called to
thank him. His $50,000 donation was one of nine contributions, totaling
$452,000, that landed in the Putnam County Democratic Committee’s
account in October 2014. Days later, the committee transferred $433,000
to the campaigns of then state Sen. Terry Gipson and Senate hopeful
Justin Wagner, two Hudson Valley Democrats who both lost their races
that year. The
hefty donations were notable because the Putnam County Democratic
Committee had not received a check for more than $1,000 in at least 15
years. The News also reported at the time that the Ulster County
Democratic Committee on Oct. 14, 2014, took in $364,000 from four labor
unions and a Manhattan-based corporation. Days later, the committee
turned around and sent $160,000 to the campaign of Sen. Cecilia Tkaczyk,
who wound up losing her reelection bid. And the Monroe County
Democratic Committee received $100,000 at the time from the
Communications Workers of America District One PAC, before sending
$60,000 to Sen. Ted O’Brien three days later. O’Brien also lost. A
source close to a developer with business before the city told the News in 2014 that the builder felt “uncomfortable” after
receiving an email from Sam Nagourney, finance director of de Blasio’s
2013 mayoral campaign, asking for at least a $50,000 donation to the
Ulster County Democratic Committee, the state Working Families Party or
the state Senate Democratic Campaign Committee — all of which were
working to help the Dems grab control of the Senate. It’s unclear if the
developer gave any money. Local 32BJ of the Service Employees
International Union in 2014 gave the Putnam County Democratic Committee
$50,000 and the Monroe County Democratic Committee $102,300 that was
then transferred to candidates. Days
after the News reported the unusual donations, Putnam County Republican
Committee Chairman Anthony Scannapieco Jr. formally asked the state’s
Board of Elections enforcement officer to look into the matter.Flashback
de Blasio's Putnam Laundry
Berlin Rosen Who Was Paid By the Putnam de Blasio Fund That is Being Investigated By the FBI Said the Efforts Were In Accordance With the Law
Donor
John Catsimatidis said he has not been contacted by authorities looking
into de Blasio’s fundraising operations from 2014, when the mayor
pushed for a Democratic takeover of the state Senate, the Daily Newswrites: Supermarket
mogul John Catsimatidis says he has not been contacted by authorities
looking into Mayor de Blasio’s fund-raising operation. The Daily News in
2014 reported that Catsimatidis donated $50,000 to the Putnam County
Democratic Committee at the request of de Blasio and his people. Critics
complained at the time the effort was designed to circumvent
contribution limits to candidates. State campaign finance rules prohibit
donations of more than $10,300 to an individual candidate.
Bill de Blasio fund-raiser asking for $50G to help Democratscapture state Senate made developer feel 'uncomfortable' (NYDN)
EXCLUSIVE: The developer, who did not wish to be identified, deals with
the city on permitting and other land-use issues, a person who spoke
with him said. The fundraiser's $50,000 suggested contribution put the
developer in a tough spot, as while he likes the mayor he doesn't feel
state Senate Democrats are friendly to the real estate industry.* In de Blasio push for Democratic State Senate majority,exploitation of campaign finance loopholes(Progress Queens) Jimmy Vielkind @JimmyVielkind John Catsimatidis gets explicit abt campndonations: @BilldeBlasio asked; Cats wanted to do favor, so he wrote checkVJ Machiavelli @VJMachiavelli
@JimmyVielkind @BilldeBlasio asks @JCats2013 for a favor at dinner and
being a fool with billionaire he gave shame on him investigation now.
@AndreaWNYC shame on u. @JCats2013 for doing "favor" for @deBlasioNYC
do u do lots of business with City and u want to keep on good side Bill Hammond @NYDNHammond Catsimatidis: *"I do a lot of business in the city. .. He (de Blasio) asked me for a favor and I wrote the check."*
The
head of a company that was trying to sell the city rat-repelling trash
bags donated $100,000 to the mayor's non-profit. The city subsequently
bought some.* The transactional mayor returns - Capital New York Joseph Dussich, the CEO of JAD Corporation of America,
a Queens-based maintenance company, had long tried to market
mint-scented, rodent-repellent trash bags he invented. After donating
$100,000 to Campaign for One New York, the city has begun doing business
with him. Dussich gave the organization $50,000 on Dec. 10, 2014 and
another $50,000 on Feb. 3, 2015, according to filings voluntarily
provided by the group. That is 20 times more than the $4,950 an
individual can give a mayoral candidate in a single election cycle, per
Campaign Finance Board rules. Dussich has been promoting his anti-rat
product since at least 2007, when he described the idea to New York Magazine. One
month after his latest donation, the city parks department spent
$15,000 on his garbage bags, according to records filed with the city
comptroller. While just a fraction of his overall donation, the deal was
a boon for the entrepreneur who lamented in 2013 that he “couldn’t get
to first base” with the parks department, which had yet to consider
buying his trash bags. At that time, he was raising money for de
Blasio’s Republican challenger, Joe Lhota.
So,
the Mayor says 2 Catsmisidas who is a developer in NYC & has 2
deal with city agencies "John, do me a favor & send $ 2 these
people"
No comments:
Post a Comment