Dirty little secrets: City Council members have skirted laws, bent rules and abused their power
The New York Daily News by Erin Einhorn, Robert Gearty, Benjamin Lesser, Tina Moore, Barbara Ross and Greg B. Smith - March 20, 2011
More than a dozen City Council members have skirted laws, bent rules or used their positions to benefit themselves, a Daily News probe has found.
A three-month investigation found Council members who dodged taxes, violated the city's housing and building code, circumvented regulations to get cheap housing and, in one case, even ignored criminal bench warrants. As part of the probe, The News reviewed thousands of pages of records regarding judgments, liens, tax history, property ownership, building and housing code violations, campaign finance and financial disclosure. And while the Council's 51 members - one of whom is under indictment - routinely make laws on everything from smoking in public to recycling trash, The News found many have a history of ignoring the letter of the law. Confronted by the News, several Council members admitted they'd made mistakes in judgment and promised to rectify them. "There is no excuse," said one. "To me, my integrity means a lot," said another.
Among the findings, to be detailed in The News over three days: Councilman Ruben Wills (D-Queens) has two outstanding arrest warrants on pending criminal charges. He's also a deadbeat dad who owes more than $27,000. Four Council members - Fernando Cabrera (D-Bronx), Mathieu Eugene (D-Brooklyn), Peter Koo (R-Queens) and Jumaane Williams (D-Brooklyn) - get tax breaks by claiming a primary residence outside their districts. Council members are required to live in their districts. Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan) is about to move into a luxury condo building where she used taxpayer dollars to resolve a conflict with a neighboring building over garbage. She's also been sued repeatedly for nonpayment of rent. Councilwoman Inez Dickens (D-Manhattan) owed $100,000 in back-property taxes - some dating to 2009 - and has been cited repeatedly for unsafe conditions in Harlem apartment buildings she owns. She's also been accused of hiding assets to dodge estate taxes. Councilman Eric Dilan (D-Brooklyn) got into affordable housing that's supposed to go to families making no more than $114,000. At the time, he and his wife made $160,000. The building owner is a campaign donor. Councilman Williams twice ignored city inspectors investigating allegations he has an illegally converted apartment in a building he owns. Councilman Larry Seabrook (D-Bronx) is under indictment for running a shakedown scheme and illegally pocketing cash, including collecting $177 in expenses - for a $7 bagel and diet soda - from a political club he runs. He has denied wrongdoing. Several Council members are swimming in debt, including James Sanders (D-Queens), who faces eviction because the $588,000 home he bought with no money down is in foreclosure. Sanders rails against "predatory lenders" without revealing his own precarious situation. Melissa Mark-Viverito (D-Manhattan) has a one-third interest in at least one Puerto Rico rental condo, but reports no income. Members are supposed to report any income over $1,000 per year. At first she told The News she was co-owner of two rental condos: a three-bedroom worth as much as $500,000 near the beach in the upscale tourist area of Condado, and a one-bedroom in secluded Punta Las Marias worth up to $250,000. Ian Malinow, a real estate broker in San Juan, said the larger unit could get $1,500 to $2,000 a month, the smaller one $1,000 a month. Mark-Viverito first said both condos were rentals. Asked why she reported no income, she replied: "You don't have to report income." After being told she must report any income over $1,000 a year, she changed her story, saying only one condo generated income, and all of that went to her mother due to an "oral agreement" they had. Seven Council members pay rent to themselves or to entities controlled by relatives for campaign offices. Mixing politics and city business is fairly common. Eight City Council members use Council employees as campaign treasurers; 10 others use city employees to oversee their campaigns. This is legal, although city workers must do all political work on their own time. gsmith@nydailynews.com
A three-month investigation found Council members who dodged taxes, violated the city's housing and building code, circumvented regulations to get cheap housing and, in one case, even ignored criminal bench warrants. As part of the probe, The News reviewed thousands of pages of records regarding judgments, liens, tax history, property ownership, building and housing code violations, campaign finance and financial disclosure. And while the Council's 51 members - one of whom is under indictment - routinely make laws on everything from smoking in public to recycling trash, The News found many have a history of ignoring the letter of the law. Confronted by the News, several Council members admitted they'd made mistakes in judgment and promised to rectify them. "There is no excuse," said one. "To me, my integrity means a lot," said another.
Among the findings, to be detailed in The News over three days: Councilman Ruben Wills (D-Queens) has two outstanding arrest warrants on pending criminal charges. He's also a deadbeat dad who owes more than $27,000. Four Council members - Fernando Cabrera (D-Bronx), Mathieu Eugene (D-Brooklyn), Peter Koo (R-Queens) and Jumaane Williams (D-Brooklyn) - get tax breaks by claiming a primary residence outside their districts. Council members are required to live in their districts. Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan) is about to move into a luxury condo building where she used taxpayer dollars to resolve a conflict with a neighboring building over garbage. She's also been sued repeatedly for nonpayment of rent. Councilwoman Inez Dickens (D-Manhattan) owed $100,000 in back-property taxes - some dating to 2009 - and has been cited repeatedly for unsafe conditions in Harlem apartment buildings she owns. She's also been accused of hiding assets to dodge estate taxes. Councilman Eric Dilan (D-Brooklyn) got into affordable housing that's supposed to go to families making no more than $114,000. At the time, he and his wife made $160,000. The building owner is a campaign donor. Councilman Williams twice ignored city inspectors investigating allegations he has an illegally converted apartment in a building he owns. Councilman Larry Seabrook (D-Bronx) is under indictment for running a shakedown scheme and illegally pocketing cash, including collecting $177 in expenses - for a $7 bagel and diet soda - from a political club he runs. He has denied wrongdoing. Several Council members are swimming in debt, including James Sanders (D-Queens), who faces eviction because the $588,000 home he bought with no money down is in foreclosure. Sanders rails against "predatory lenders" without revealing his own precarious situation. Melissa Mark-Viverito (D-Manhattan) has a one-third interest in at least one Puerto Rico rental condo, but reports no income. Members are supposed to report any income over $1,000 per year. At first she told The News she was co-owner of two rental condos: a three-bedroom worth as much as $500,000 near the beach in the upscale tourist area of Condado, and a one-bedroom in secluded Punta Las Marias worth up to $250,000. Ian Malinow, a real estate broker in San Juan, said the larger unit could get $1,500 to $2,000 a month, the smaller one $1,000 a month. Mark-Viverito first said both condos were rentals. Asked why she reported no income, she replied: "You don't have to report income." After being told she must report any income over $1,000 a year, she changed her story, saying only one condo generated income, and all of that went to her mother due to an "oral agreement" they had. Seven Council members pay rent to themselves or to entities controlled by relatives for campaign offices. Mixing politics and city business is fairly common. Eight City Council members use Council employees as campaign treasurers; 10 others use city employees to oversee their campaigns. This is legal, although city workers must do all political work on their own time. gsmith@nydailynews.com
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23 comments:
Am I reading correctly?!?! New York's Commission on Judical Conduct (CJC) Chief Counsel (Read: Chief Thug), Robert Tembeckjian's wife and New York Daily News reporter Barbara Ross helped "investigate" this story. God help us. If Barbara Ross "investigates" like her corrupt husband, then this "investigation" is about protecting insiders and having a little fun against Ross' and Tembeckjian's advarsaries.
What a joke.
There is a proverb once that said something like if you are asked about mountain A but only know about mountain B, a good writer will start to write about mountain A and then write about mountain B and the reader won't realize that the original question was never answered.
This is what the reporters are doing. Drawing attention away from what they don't want to have looked at. They will keep brining up smaller problems, instead of having the big problem of the entire culture of corruption in the state addressed.
@ 11:56 and 11:07, Right on. Tembeckjian, Barbara Ross,NY Daily News, corruption just reported, corruption not reported, exposing the little scum and forgetting the large scum. Connect the dots.
The corruption flourishes at every level because the Daily News,the NY Times, the NY Post and TU cover-up political and judicial corruption, with occasional releases to fool the citizens. Ask the DA why there are no prosecutions?
Hey Guys, this is the tip of the iceberg! Move on to the courts at ALL levels and then begin looking at the Albany cesspool. Great to see there is at least one paper doing its job! Go Daily News!
one of many stories barely covered by the mainstream media but worthy of review or at least a second look.
query: any relation between the Ken Ford saga and NY Ethics Tied to International Espionage Scheme?
http://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/archive.cgi?read=82442
never asked for beer or dinner or rent paid but hey, the beer may be ok, perhaps some too for honey with the pot ( honeypot )
hvr
Barbara Ross has killed a great many stories to protect the snakes in the court systems and also protect her boyfriend and now husband's job. Is there any truth to the fact that they rent part of their house in Columbia Co.? Wonder if that is reported on the ethics forms? How about it Mr. T?
original source that Mr. T and wife have real estate ( house ) in Columbia County came from Editor of significant news publication in ny. former govt staffer apparently used google earth and similar searches to find it and apparently the home is on Mc Cagg Road which depending on the end closer to Chatham but like considered within Valatie limits within the town of Kinderhook
few typos there. anyway, is that Greg B. Smith the writer who worked on the article same one who wrote the Daily News Sept 2005 3 part Expose called "Stuck on the Mafia's Highway"?
The article details about all the mobbed up construction companies getting NY State contracts, NYC Contracts, Al Pirro working and negotiating with the State of NY while Disbarred.
http://www.thelaborers.net/NEWS/stuck_on_the_mafias_highways.htm
If that is the same Greg B. Smith and he is working with Mr. T's wife he must know alot by now
Excerpt:
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Westchester Guardian Article/Phil Amicone/Nick Spano/Al Pirro/Anthony Mangone/Sandy Annabi.
‘The Last Supper’
Was It The Pivotal MomentIn A Criminal Conspiracy?
The Last Supper’ Five Practiced Conspirators And Sandy Annabi Meet Hours Before Her Vote Reversal
Does anyone seriously believe that any significant amount of money exchanged hands to lubricate the passage of approvals by Yonkers City Council for either the Ridge Hill development or Longfellow Senior Housing, and Phil Amicone and Nick Spano received nothing for their efforts? Of course not. Nick and Phil, between them, controlled the Republican patronage machine in Yonkers; and, as between them, Nick was clearly el Capo.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
We are informed by an exceptionally reliable and knowledgeable source, from first-hand observation, that a certain Italian restaurant in New Rochelle was the scene of a supper meeting attended by Al Pirro, Nick Spano, Mike Spano, as well as Anthony Mangone, Zehy Jereis and Sandy Annabi on the evening before the Yonkers City Council meeting at which Annabi changed her position and voted to enable the Ridge Hill Development Project to go forward; in a sense, a Last Supper. . . . .
We do not take breaches of public trust lightly, by any means, and we are only too well aware of the atmosphere of corruption engendered by a District Attorney who occupied the Office for 12 years while married to the most outrageous white-collar criminal in the County. One United States Attorney, who should have known better, MaryJo White, in fact, perpetuated the corrupt environment when she failed to include Jeanine Pirro in the original 67-count indictment that named Al, despite the fact that the case involved a 10-year-long tax fraud, 1988-1997, in which nine of those 10 years Jeanine jointly signed the tax returns.
Despite having been convicted in White Plains Federal District Court on June 20, 2000, and sentenced to 29 months in federal prison, Al was out by clever canard, in only 11. Additionally, although convicted of all 38 remaining counts of a 67- count indictment, after Judge Barrington Parker redacted the 29 most egregious counts involving the rip-off of Peekskill’s Hudson Valley Hospital, together with Robert Boyle, another of George Pataki’s crooked buddies, the Appellate Division, Second Department, never disbarred Al. Instead, they waited three years to act and then merely suspended his license for three years, beginning May 12, 2003.
No matter, Mr. Fixit, Al Pirro, went right on practicing law, making appearances before town boards and city planning commissions such as White Plains, and wherever he would normally appear, in direct disobedience to the specific conditions of his ‘slap-on-the-wrist’ suspension. No one can say the federal courts or state courts treated Al Pirro ‘badly’. Not only did they spare him; they also enabled him; and, now he pops up right in the middle of the Yonkers real estate development scandal. What a surprise!
After all, way back in 2003, before leaving office, then-Mayor John Spencer had retained Al Pirro as Yonkers’ official lobbyist, specifically tasked with the assignment of bringing qualified real estate developers to the City to help the administration that would soon be headed by his deputy, Phil Amicone, fulfill their master plan of development. Even in a culture of corruption such as Westchester, somehow Yonkers remains a standout for sheer chutzpah. . . . . . . . .
Posted by The Westchester Guardian Newspaper at 5:31 PM
http://westchesterguardian.blogspot.com/2010/01/westchester-guardian-articlephil.html
So why are the Blog Operators removing comments and Censoring again, a practice, policy and custom it claims to not engage in?
This site just removed the "Query" about whether the Greg B. Smith writer mentioned from the article above is the same writer who did the 3 part Expose in Sept. 2005 called "Stuck on the Mafia's Highway".
Then this Site censored a followup excerpt from the Westchester Guardian Blog posted by the Guardian itself discussing Al Pirro and more. SCREENSHOTS are a beautiful computer function to learn to prove these acts of censorship.
So now, more details with the article links:
http://www.thelaborers.net/NEWS/stuck_on_the_mafias_highways.htm
Stuck on the mafia's highways
Part One of Three
By GREG B. SMITH
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Today, the Daily News begins a three-part series exposing how real-life Tony Sopranos and mobbed-up contractors steal your tax dollars, put workers' lives in danger and even screw up traffic at rush hour.
. . . . . .
A four-month Daily News investigation has found that New York's organized crime families — supposedly banned from all such construction projects — are back in public works big time — at city schools, playgrounds, bridges and parks.
Since 1995, dozens of contractors barred from doing government work because of mob ties, corruption or serious safety violations have been able to win more than 100 public contracts worth more than $1.2 billion.
. . . . .. . . . . . .
Prosecutors said in court then that Persico consulted the Gambino family to get a mob-controlled union to let him use nonunion help. In exchange, he got a Gambino soldier a no-show job, they alleged.
The disclosures didn't stop Persico from being hired on the I-95 bridge job, which was supposed to be completed in September 2001 and cost $6 million.
In fact, the job took an extra year and came in at $9 million.
Records obtained by The News under the Freedom of Information Law show that in March 2002, with complaints escalating about the competency of Persico's work, he hired lobbyist Albert Pirro, husband of U.S. Senate candidate Jeanine Pirro.
On April 29, 2002, with Pirro now representing Persico, an internal Thruway E-mail showed that midlevel inspectors wanted to impose sanctions on the firm for failure to complete the job on time, "but per the director we are deferring these assessments until a later date."
Persico's lawyer, Barry Levin, said Pirro "was hired to help my client collect outstanding monies owed to him. Pirro was successful in that endeavor."
In a written statement to The News, Pirro would only say he was retained by Persico "to help resolve its payment dispute with the Thruway authority over the reconstruction of a bridge in New Rochelle."
Pirro refused to answer other questions about the nature of the representation.
However, Thruway authority spokesman Daniel Gilbert said Pirro's firm "did not play a role in the resolution of the payment dispute, but did make a couple of inquiries about the process and the status of the dispute."
Regarding the increase in the payments, Gilbert said after careful review, the agency determined that "various delays and payment for certain documented extra expenses were justified. Ultimately, there were many reasons for the delays, including numerous design issues which additionally made the contract more expensive."
Since the I-95 job, the thruway hired Persico for two more jobs worth a total of $17.5 million.
In the midst of those projects, the FBI taped Persico meeting repeatedly with Gambino gangster Greg DePalma and discussing construction corruption, according to FBI transcripts.
Originally published on September 25, 2005
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Just read the above comments. Pretty funny. Enough criminal acts are being done by the schmucks making our court system corrupt. Guess we don't need additional criminal acts like threats and such. I, for one, am glad the viagra and porn postings are gone. I guess the anonymous person who thinks his special comments are so sensitive that they had to be removed may need a vacation. They are good comments, to be sure, but the ignorance and paranoia behind them show that a little computer programming knowledge goes a long way and is in order for this person who doesn't know how to spend her time.
the anonymous person from 11:37 pm says to the anonymous person from 1:22 am if you possess such great knowledge of computer programming and the operations of this website and the historical content routinely posted on this site do NOT go on vacation until:
a. you specify what parts of the 11:37 pm comment could possibly have triggered a "spam filter" action
b. being such a great computer programmer expert with great computer knowledge specify the technical process of how such a Comment is accepted by the blog, posted and given a time recording, then removed.
remember, do that before you consider taking your next vacation or break or don't you know what to do with your time already?
So Frank...why then have you blocked my insider information for the past 2 yrs...spam..criminal activity that the FBI finally wants to pass on to the court..or because OCA was scouring your blog looking for anything anonymous that maybe I wrote, that they could make a federal case over?
Explain.
I've seen a few comments deleted from other myself! You never know, just tell the truth, so the liars can not keep lying behind your back and keep harming the judges!
OCA is so protected and unpenetratable because the American Corpocracy uses the justice system to complete and cover-up everyone of their deals, and OCA certainly is not going to allow any number of complaints from ANYONE now in existence, to prohibit their continuation of worldwide money making or black dress power....the reason this blog and any other effort is forced to fail.
The major parties in this country demand that they continue their influencing of all elections..but what they desire is judicial elections and the appearance of them, since one half of NY judges are not elected through illegal means (remember the US Supreme Ct ruling relative to corps spending whatever they want in any election).
The corporations concern today is esp focused on the state Supreme Ct judgeships...... as they already have Federal Ct. where they want and need them.
Federal Ct is the most positive decision and legal determiner of corporate and Government lawsuits etc. that will blatantly convolute any ruling to reach that postive decision against the winner citizen who makes an attempt to expose either one.
What can only be done to further this cause is what was done in Wisconsin ...but with more vigor, if you get the picture.
Lippman is not afraid of anyone or anything, either is Silver or the likes of any of these maggots....and that is where they become vulnerable to the citizen.
The key is to get them because they are cocky,not looking because they are coveted by big American money,and as old as they are, they ignore how really fragile they are to public terror...look at the middle east and areas near them...long time billionaire, brutal, murderous dictators falling like flies.
Americans must get smart and learn from the world..or live with judicial corruption until the tally above hits the millions!
With regard to Mr T's (and Barbara R's) humble abode, please note that the original source is someone who rented a space for living purposes. Wonder if the Certificate of Occupancy permits same? How will they cover this up? Some of the vistors and meetings that took place at Mr. T's digs are also of note.
todays post basically said that silver works only for his 'tribe'
and does not care of any negative results for non'tribe' members
i think they are aware of the rage
you just simply cannot fuck over everybody all the time
sic semper tyranus
if the Comment at 10:45 pm is accurate and referring to Mr. T's Columbia County house, that is quite interesting and looks like someone was watching key players way earlier in the game than folks who are even from the area in question.
there was a steady stream of folks in the pataki years who suddenly became second home owners in columbia county and nearby due to proximity to albany and original one of interest publicized up here was pataki's DEC Commissioner Zagata
most folks being naive and blind to how our "system" really worked and believing "it couldn't be so" and believing in govt probably never thought of or knew to be looking at Mr. T and who was moving in to the area
powerful State GOP Chairman Bill Powers who had his lobbying office in Albany below the Capitol raided by DC coordinated Feds didn't livea all that far from the area where Mr. T's home allegedly is
the original source mentioned on march 20 2011 at 11:31 pm was not even learned up here until spring of 2008 after spitzer recently resigned from as governor
thus the original source info mentioned at this blog on march 21 2011 at 10:45 pm predates this info significantly and makes this very interesting
Just amazing stuff here.. Who is Silver's Tribe? The Same Tribe that is destroying America? The little country that we bow down to. Why does no one speak about Mayor Bloomberg how he is aiding in America's destruction by ordering Foreign products.Foreign contracts. (That's reported) The Mob Constuction group are at least American and less expensive.The Court Corruption is so evident today that I feel they are using "In Your Face Tactics" Ive been robbed of my deasesed close relatives inheritance and ABA, DA an Nassau county does not give a F*** keep asking questions, more illegal fees they charge. It's out of control. Who can help? Read "Corruption In the Courts II"
That should make you sicker?
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