Saturday, May 7, 2016

Subpoenas Fly At City Hall Laundering $$$

The investigation appears to center on whether de Blasio engaged in a pay-to-play scheme over the sale of LICH by the State University of New York (SUNY) to Fortis Property Group, according to a subpoena reported by the Daily News and the New York Post. The probe may also look into the infamous “Reilly Letter” of June 2014. The controversial letter, sent to Brooklyn residents, touted the “stand-alone ER” that would replace the historic hospital. Although it was signed by Carroll Gardens’ resident Gary Reilly, the letter was mailed from the headquarters of the Campaign for One New York. Despite several meetings with City Hall, community groups in Cobble Hill and Brooklyn Heights say that they are still awaiting answers about Fortis Property Group’s plans for the site of the former hospital. #NYC Brooklyn Bodega That Pulled Anti-Gentrification Stunts Closes Du... http://nyc.epeak.in/456_2425752 Bklyn Hospital’s Sale, Backed by de Blasio & Cuomo, Is Drawing Federal Scrutiny http://nyti.ms/2anSusK - #Preet 🇺🇸 goes 4Greedy sweet spot! Not a word about have Airbnb has fueled Gentrification Push Out of New Yorkers from their home


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
Conflict of Interests Fresh evidence the mayor broke the Conflict of Interest Law (NYP Ed)  At least two people now say Mayor Bill de Blasio personally solicited them for campaign cash while they had city business pending. Billionaire John Catsimatidis had already gone public with the fact that the mayor hit him up for $50,000 for de Blasio’s effort to flip the state Senate back to the Democrats. * NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio stepped up his effort to discredit investigators who asked prosecutors to probe his fundraising tactics—and leaked their memo on the subject. But he stopped short of publicly fingering Gov. Andrew Cuomo. * A defiant de Blasio said he doesn’t care that JCOPE is taking his now defunct political nonprofit group to court for not cooperating in its probe. “They want to go to court, they can go to court,” the mayor told reporters.

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. 


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





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
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.






Cats Gets Caught In de Blasio Campaign Slush Fund Investigation
Catsimatidis interviewed about de Blasio fundraising scandal (NYP) Billionaire supermarket mogul John Catsimatidis was interviewed by investigators probing a political fund-raising scandal involving Mayor de Blasio, sources told The Post Monday. Catsimatidis, a former Republican mayoral candidate, was questioned for about 30 minutes inside his Manhattan office last week, one source said. The Gristedes owner and radio host was also slapped with a subpoena demanding records tied to the investigation, sources said. It was unclear if he had yet complied with the subpoena. Sources said the subpoena was served by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, which is working on the case with the Manhattan US Attorney’s Office. They also said that the DA’s investigators took part in the interview. The Wall Street Journal, which first reported on the interview, said federal authorities questioned Catsimatidis. Catsimatidis has publicly acknowledged donating $50,000 to the Putnam County Democratic Committee at de Blasio’s request, and learning later that the cash had been funneled to Democratic candidates for state Senate. The businessman declined to talk about being interviewed by investigators, but told The Post on Monday that the donations were “100 percent legal” and that he had “zero control and zero knowledge” over where the funds were directed. According to a January memo from the state Board of Elections, de Blasio and several associates — including top aide Emma Wolfe — were part of an operation that committed “willful and flagrant” violations of campaign-finance laws in a failed bid to help Democrats take control of the state Senate in 2014.* De Blasio backs bill to limit bundling ofcampaign contributions (NYP) Mayor de Blasio, whose team is under investigation for alleged fund-raising abuses, endorsed legislation Monday to restrict the role of lobbyists and others with business before the city from bundling donations for candidates. By law, lobbyists, contractors and others doing business with the city can give no more than $400 to a mayoral candidate. But a loophole allows those same individuals to bundle unlimited amounts from others to the same candidates. It is Tuesday de Blasio Has A New Plan to Deal With Charges De Blasio plans a crisis response, without the sense of crisis (PoliticoNY) A de Blasio aide told POLITICO New York that New Yorkers are going to see even more vigorous pushback in the coming days, one that will entail the mobilization of allies, and more arguments that the law is clear and that de Blasio and his administration acted appropriately and ethically.  The more aggressive response to the daily "scandal" headlines represents something of a shift for the mayor, who has seemed resolutely unbothered — if not occasionally unaware — since news of the investigations first broke, dismissing it all as politics as usual while conspicuously going about his day-to-day business.*   Former New York City mayoral candidate and billionaire political donor-turned-radio host John Catsimatidis was interviewed by authorities as part of an investigation into NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio’s fundraising activities. * Catsimatidis has publicly acknowledged donating $50,000 to the Putnam County Democratic Committee at de Blasio’s request, and learning later that the cash had been funneled to Democratic candidates for state Senate. The businessman said his donations were “100 percent legal” and that he had “zero control and zero knowledge” over where the funds were directed. * A publicly untraceable $50,000 donation made ahead of the election of newly christened Democratic state Sen. Todd Kaminsky appears to have come from a major, politically connected real estate developer with significant business before the de Blasio administration.
Sal Albanese ‏@SalAlbaneseNYC  A friend who is a law professor saw @InsideCityHall & said if show lasted 10 more min all 3 Wise Guys would've confessed 2 indictable crimes  * NY1 Online: Wise Guys Talk John Catsimatidis's Involvement in Investigation Into Mayor's Office (Inside City Hall NY1)


 

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
De Blasio's lawyer cites loophole that made fundraising legal (CrainsNY)The Conflicts of Interest Board said the mayor could not solicit donations from those with matters before the city, but did not bar consultants from asking. The Conflicts of Interest Board wrote an advice letter to the fund's lawyer, Lawrence Laufer, on Jan. 8, 2014, NY1 reported Monday, that said the mayor could solicit donations to the nonprofit as long as the donors did not have pressing matters before the executive branch. Though many on the donor list appeared to have business before the city around the time of their donations, the administration said the directive had not been violated because the people asking for money were not city employees. "The COIB letter is clear," the mayor's counsel, Maya Wiley, said in a statement. "It permits solicitations of people who do business with the city. It only bars the solicitation by the mayor of someone 'with a matter pending or about to be pending' before the city. There was a process in place to ensure that this guidance was scrupulously followed. The Conflicts of Interest Board's guidance also applies to city officials and employees. Nothing in it or the conflicts-of-interest laws restrict the Campaign for One New York or its supporters from fundraising. Only city officials and employees were restricted." De Blasio pressed reporters to find "any situations that parallel ours," referring to the legal caution taken by his fundraising arm, the Campaign for One New York. "Find me situations where people went and sought Conflicts of Interest Board guidance up front so frequently," he told reporters at a press conference in Queens. "Find me situations where each individual phone call was vetted by lawyers to make sure they were in compliance, the call was in compliance with the Conflicts of Interest Board.” "That is not something I pretend to interpret," he said of the board's advice. "I go to a lawyer to interpret. And then literally what the lawyer said is applied case by case very consistently. Each individual case is looked at. Each individual name is looked at. And when a specific situation is taking place." The mayor also emphasized that the campaign voluntarily disclosed its donors and sought advice from the Conflicts of Interest Board. The nonprofit was not legally required to disclose donations or spending.* Mayor Bill de Blasio is pushing back on a report that he may have violated a conflict of interest board directive when it came to supporting his non-profit, the Campaign for One New York. * The leaked memorandum from the Board of Elections that recommended criminal prosecution for the political activities and fundraising on behalf of the mayor is “just too convenient” de Blasio said on Tuesday. * The investigation into de Blasio’s fundraising comes at a politically difficult time for Senate Democrats as they seek to gain a governing majority in the chamber.* .@BilldeBlasio plans a crisisresponse, without the sense of crisis  (PoliticoNY) * De Blasio whines in Harlem (NYP) An embattled Mayor Bill de Blasio took to Rev. Al Sharpton’s pulpit Saturday to whine about the dark forces opposing him.
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




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
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



Progressive de Blasio I Used A Loophole in the "Broken Election Law" to Set Up My Slush Fund PAC
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.”



The Interlocking-Directorates Between de Blasio's Lawyer Kanter Davidoff and Wolfe and The Law Firms Lobbying City Hall Operation 
  1. 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. 
  2. Election lawyer Lawrence Mandelker works for the mayor;s Campaign for One NY PAC 
  3. Mandelker works for the mayor campaign committee
  4. Kantor Davidoff Wolfe Lobbyists for Dozens of Clients That Need Government Favors From Mayor de Blasio
  5. 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 
Bill de Blasio’s blatant campaign-finance hypocrisy (NYP ED) Mayor de Blasio certainly has mastered the art of speaking from both sides of his mouth. On the one side, he calls for “major reforms” in elections regarding polling sites and voter registration, pretending to defend the sanctity of New York’s elections. On the other, he defends skirting spending limits that are the subject of US attorney, Manhattan DA and FBI investigations. This funneling of funds through the various committees was done “in order to evade contribution limits and to disguise the true names of the contributors.” More than a decade ago, as a city councilman, de Blasio pushed for reforms to the city’s election laws regarding unions. He wanted the Campaign Finance Board to treat each union affiliate as a separate entity, so that each could contribute nearly $5,000, instead of having the contribution limit apply to the entire umbrella union. As The Post reported, “that piece of legislation allowed UNITE HERE — a union formerly run by the mayor’s cousin John Wilhelm — to pump more than $77,000 into de Blasio’s 2013 mayoral campaign from chapters as far away as Honolulu.” Now the same “downtrodden” unions are embroiled in de Blasio’s new scandal. As the BOE report explained, “The evidence indicates that de Blasio established a structure, both within and outside of City Hall, and entered into an agreement with powerful unions — New York Hotel Trades Council and United Federation of Teachers . . . to raise and spend money to influence state Senate races.” All three races received significant contributions from unions via straw donors, and received staffing support from unions. In fact, “the entire fundraising and campaign operation was run from City Hall by de Blasio staff in coordination with unions.”  A snippet of the transactions the BOE examined for one of the straw-donor committees reveals contributions totaling over $375,000 from the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, United Healthcare Workers East (1199SEIU), New York State Nurses Association, Communications Workers of America and 32BJ United American Dream Fund (32BJSEIU). This recent scandal also comes on the heels of significant blows to the state Democratic Party. Just last year, former Democratic Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver was convicted of taking millions in bribes for his unwavering support for real-estate tax subsidies.(Republicans look bad, too: former GOP Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos was indicted around the same time.) It was only a few months ago that Bharara announced Cuomo wouldn’t be charged for disbanding his own corruption investigation commission — the commission whose work led to Silver’s and Skelos’ indictments. De Blasio attempts to sound the reformer from the left side of his mouth; he attempts to defend his illegal campaign-finance practices from the right side. What comes out is hypocritical gobbledygook. There’s no doubt New York needs election-law changes. The campaign-finance rules unfairly benefit those in power — especially when they apply two standards for two-faced politicians like de Blasio. * De Blasio offers $20M if Board of Elections fixes its problems (NYDN)



Feds Investigate de Blasio Using Straw Donors in 2013 Pre DEB Campaign for One NY Money Transfer to Putnam and Beyond 
Feds investigate de Blasio for using straw donors (NYP) Federal authorities want to know if Mayor Bill de Blasio used straw donors to feed his 2013 campaign for City Hall, according to a published report on Thursday. New York City’s campaign finance laws cap individual donations to a candidate for citywide office at $4,950 — and the feds are investigating whether anyone close to de Blasio reimbursed donors or passed money on to others to make a rules-skirting contribution, DNAInfo reported.
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.



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 
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)



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 Hires Lawyers to Handle Federal Investigations (DNAINFO) "The Mayor has retained Barry Berke of Kramer Levin as his attorney 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," said de Blasio spokesman Peter Kadushin. "In addition, Barry Berke will continue to represent the 2013 campaign."The mayor is facing investigations including whether his unsuccessful bid to bring the state Senate under Democratic control in 2014 as well as fundraising efforts for the Campaign for One New York, a nonprofit to advance the mayor's agenda, violated campaign finance and election laws.Berke will not be paid using taxpayer money.


de Blasio and City Lawyer-Up to Battle Corruption Fighter Bharara
The two white collar criminal law firms hired to represent the city — Debevoise & Plimpton and Carter Ledyard & Milburn — will be paid with taxpayer money and will represent the City of New York and any city employee acting in their capacity as a city employee in the investigation."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 city's law department said in a statement.* NYC Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito expressed confidence that de Blasio followed legal fundraising guidelines during his 2013 campaign and while raising for a nonprofit to push his agenda. Now prepare to get really angry: To handle all the probes, City Hall just hired two powerful law firms — Debevoise & Plimpton, and Carter Ledyard & Milburn — to defend it. That’s right: The taxpayers will be shelling out for Team de Blasio’s defense. * New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has retained a prominent criminal defense lawyer to help him cooperate with state and federal corruption probes into City Hall and his fundraising. The lawyer, Barry Berke of the Manhattan firm Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel, was previously retained to represent de Blasio’s campaign, and is a mayoral appointee to the Lincoln Center board of directors. * Berke, who represented disgraced former NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik in his unsuccessful battle against corruption charges, charges $850 an hour, but de Blasio’s campaign – not the taxpayers – will be picking up the tab for his services.




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
He added that "lobbyists don’t get to choose who regulates them. JCOPE regulates lobbying in New York State, and that is exactly what we are doing."  “These are registered, paid lobbyists that are asserting a privilege that belongs to an elected official," Agata said. "It’s a very blurry line, and it’s a line that we’re going to investigate.” The letter laid out a series of “unexplained anomalies” that Laufer said called into question the purity of JCOPE’s motives in pursuing and continuing the investigation into whether the nonprofit should have registered as a lobbyist.   Among the “anomalies” Laufer cited were: the fact that former JCOPE executive director Letizia Tagliafierro, a former Cuomo aide, was transitioning to a new position within the Cuomo administration at the time the investigation was first opened last year; and anobservation that a subpoena sent from JCOPE to the Campaign for One New York “sought records of the organization's communications with the executive and legislative branches of state and City government, with the inexplicable exception of seeking no records with respect to legislative lobbying targeted to the Governor.” Agata told POLITICO that "we can go to court to compel" cooperation from the nonprofit on its subpoena. Asked if that's what JCOPE is planning to do, he said "we're considering all our options right now."  Read the full letter here:Political Group Tied to Mayor de Blasio to Defy Subpoena (NYT)  The Campaign for One New York said it would refuse to comply with a subpoena issued by a New York State ethics panel, calling it a “blatantly political exercise.”

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 
DE BLASIO'S DARK MONEY, IN CONTEXT   "New York City's campaign finance laws don't allow corporations to give money directly to people running for city office, but that hasn't been a hurdle for some companies trying to influence public policy. They have poured cash into two nonprofit groups affiliated with the city's Democratic mayor, Bill de Blasio, which have used the money to produce glossy advertisements promoting his agenda, produced by the same political consultants who worked on his election campaign. ... Similar nonprofits are proliferating across the country, many of which are backed by 'dark money' given by undisclosed donors.

Those supporting de Blasio do eventually disclose their donors, but good government groups ... still worry that such organizations contribute to a culture of influence peddling and evade the intent of laws seeking to limit the influence of special interests on elections. ... One of those nonprofits, the Campaign for One New York, has received more than $1 million in donations from real estate developers since its launch in 2014. Many of those corporate donors have projects underway in the city and have backed the mayor's housing plan. As a mayoral candidate in 2013, de Blasio loudly decried the use of such groups." -- @JonLemire: "From @AP: call for probe into @BilldeBlasio 'dark money' group shines light on their rise among governors, mayors" -- @Azi: "will thefan of @SpotlightMovie welcome this investigative endeavor ?" -- Gotham Gazette's Samar Khurshid: "Calls for More Transparency, Oversight in Departmentof Education Contracting" 




de Blasio's Addicted to Lobbyists and the Cash They Contribute to Him and His 1NY PAC
Up 20% in 14 and Berlin Rosen is Not Even A Registered Lobbyist
LOBBYIST FEEDING FRENZY THANKS TO DEBLASIO (NYDN) Lobbying spending boomed to $86.2 million last year — a record high.  lobbying disclosure report released Tuesday shows that the money from deep-pocketed interests shelled out to target city government officials spiked nearly 20% from 2014, when it was $71.9 million. And the top lobbyist was James Capolino — a big supporter and campaign fund-raiser for Mayor de Blasio. His firm, James F. Capalino & Associates, Inc., brought in $12.9 million in 2015 — up from $8.2 million the year before, when he also held the No. 1 spot and represented 304 clients. Capolino, a fund-raiser for de Blasio in his 2013 campaign, has pumped cash into de Blasio's political nonprofit since he took office and met repeatedly with the mayor. He jumped to the top lobbyist spot as his earnings surged after de Blasio became mayor. The top spender on lobbying was real estate developer Albee Development, which shelled out $1.3 million to Washington Square Partners and Capolino’s firm. Next up was JCDecaux North America, an outdoor advertising company that has worked with the city, with $1.1 million, and Uber, which spent $561,000 on six different lobbyists. *Police officers in Manhattan will no longer arrest most people who commit minor offenses like urinating in public and riding between subway cars under a policy shift decision from the NYPD and the Manhattan district attorney, The New York Times writes *   Lobbying receipts rose to a record $86 million in New York City last year, boosted in part by a single-firm record of nearly $13 million for an outfit headed by one of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s friends and fundraisers, The Wall Street Journal reports:
More About Lobbyists Campaign Manager George Arzt 






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.

The subpoenas also seek documents tied to de Blasio’s controversial non-profit, the Campaign for One New York, which he last month announced was being shut down in the wake of officials complaints from the good-government group Common Cause, which accused it of raising “dark money” and creating a “shadow government” in the Big Apple. Those who received subpoenas include Emma Wolfe, a former de Blasio campaign operative who now serves as his director of intergovernmental relations, and Ross Offinger, a campaign fund-raiser who was also treasurer of the Campaign for One New York. A subpoena was also served on the BerlinRosen political public-relations firm, which was co-founded by de Blasio adviser Jonathan Rosen. Some of the subpoenas bear the name of Manhattan prosecutor Tatiana Martins, who was part of the legal team that last year won the conviction of former state Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos on corruption charges, according to The Journal * Mayor de Blasio’s political allies hit with subpoenas infund-raising probe (NYDN) Berlin Rosen, which is widely credited with helping de Blasio win the crowded 2013 mayor’s race, was co-founded by Jonathan Rosen, one of the mayor’s most trusted political advisers.* Some of de Blasio’s closest political allies, including Emma Wolfe, Ross Offinger and BerlinRosen, have received subpoenas as part of investigations into his fundraising, but the mayor has not been served, TheWall Street Journal reports:

The Wall Street Journal first reported the latest twist in the investigation. The subpoenas are seeking documents related to a questionable, and ultimately unsuccessful, fund-raising venture the mayor undertook in 2014 to sway upstate senate races in favor of Democrats. A spokeswoman for the mayor would not address the subpoenas. “We are not commenting on the details of the investigations,” de Blasio’s press secretary Karen Hinton told The News. “All involved followed the letter of the law and are cooperating fully with the investigations.” Sources said that it’s believed that there are other subpoenas that have been issued in the probe in addition to Wolfe, Rosen, and Offinger. De Blasio on Wednesday bypassed reporters waiting to grill him on the subpoenas at an LGBT event in Harlem where he received an award. He ducked out a side door. The law enforcement probe is reportedly also looking into the mayor’s Campaign for One New York, a recently disbanded fund-raising effort set up for his pet projects.* De Blasio’s Office Gets Subpoenas as Inquiries IntoFund-Raising Continue (NYT) The origin of the subpoenas and their targets suggested that officials were delving into the mayor’s efforts for State Senate Democrats in 2014.  The subpoenas suggest, however, that prosecutors are looking seriously at whether the fund-raising activities went over the line. In the case of the 2014 election, they are looking to see whether donations to candidates were funneled through county party committees to evade contribution limits, a violation of state law and a possible felony. A subpoena also went to BerlinRosen, a public affairs consulting firm that has provided political advice and press officers for Mr. de Blasio’s campaign efforts, according to one of the people familiar with the matter. Those efforts included the nonprofit Campaign for One New York, which the mayor created to advocate his agenda and which collected contributions from those with business before the city. Federal investigators are also looking at the nonprofit; several contributors also gave money to the Senate campaign.* De Blasio betrayedvoters with sketchy fundraising (NYP Ed) Rather than take responsibility for his actions, de Blasio called the Board of Elections statement a political “hit job.” The city doesn’t need this distraction — there are far too many important items to be addressed: jobs, education, housing, public safety. It’s crystal clear the people de Blasio was elected to serve are not going to get what they voted for.* The broad reach of subpoenas for those close to de Blasio clarifies that the promiscuous range of the mayor’s fundraising operation is under microscopic scrutiny, and he had better start preparing his defense, theDaily News writes: *   If de Blasio won't talk, his staff will (NYP) * De Blasio blasé on ‘legal and appropriate’ fundraising activity as top aides subpoenaed (NYDN) "Sincethere is an investigation, I can't go into any details,” he said, but added hefelt “fine” because all his activities were above board. “I’m very, verycomfortable,” he said. (NYDN) * At least five investigations involving Bill de Blasio have recently come to light. A recap: (NYT)




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
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
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.

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”
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)

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
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 
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…”
US Attorney Preet Bharara






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. 
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 
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"


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