Andy's 'Hevesi Law' to $lam crooked pols
The New York Post by Brendan Scott and Fredric U. Dicker - April 27, 2011
ALBANY, NY -- Almost two weeks after disgraced ex-Comptroller Alan Hevesi was sent to the slammer for taking bribes, Gov. Cuomo yesterday unveiled a proposal to ban crooked politicians from drawing taxpayer-backed retirement checks. The governor's bill -- dubbed "Hevesi's Law" among Capitol insiders -- would follow through on a campaign pledge to prohibit future elected officials and state employees from collecting a pension if they're found guilty of a felony for abusing their public posts. "It is long past time that we learned the lessons of the Hevesi case and made permanent changes to our system that will stop the culture of corruption," Cuomo said. The legislation seeks to correct one of the most widely criticized aspects of the wave of corruption cases that have rocked state government in recent years: That current law guarantees lavish retirement benefits for public officials like Hevesi even as they sit in prison. The two-term Democratic state comptroller, 71, gets a state pension worth $105,000 a year despite twice pleading guilty to felony corruption charges, most recently for accepting $1 million in overseas travel and other benefits from an investor who got $250 million in pension fund business. "Officials who use their public positions to commit crimes should have no right to collect a public pension," Cuomo spokesman Josh Vlasto said. "It adds insult to injury when a public official commits a crime but still gets to reap the benefits of the office they abused." The governor's bill -- even if the Legislature passed it today -- would come too late to affect the pension collected by Hevesi or other criminally charged pols such as Sen. Carl Kruger (D-Brooklyn) and former Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr. (D-Bronx). It would only apply to officials who take office after its passage. That's because the state Constitution prohibits any cut in pension benefits for anyone who has paid even a dime into the system. Nearly a dozen ex-lawmakers, including former Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno (R-Rensselaer) and former Brooklyn Democratic leader Clarence Norman, continue to get fat retirement checks thanks to that guarantee. A Cuomo administration official said the governor would attempt to compensate for such pension protections by greatly increasing civil penalties for public integrity crimes and by strengthening prosecutors' powers to probe corruption. At least 21 states have laws on the books stripping pensions from lawmakers convicted of felonies. Such measures have long languished in New York's Legislature, although support by Cuomo, state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli and several key lawmakers show their prospects of passing may be improving. The governor also announced new permanent regulations banning placement agents, lobbyists and, for the first time, elected officials from participating in pension-fund business, relationships at the heart of the Hevesi case. During the pension-fund investigation, it was revealed a handful of top pols, including Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan), helped arrange meetings between comptroller's officials and individuals seeking pension-fund investments. brendan.scott@nypost.com
Cuomo's Shill,Fred Dicker, is at it again. Cuomo wasn't tough on Hevesi, because he only settled the prosecution with a class E felony, the minimum felony level charge. Cuomo failed to obtain a cash refund of all ill gotten gains by Hevesi and his sons, nor demand an agreement not to seek to collect his pension as part of the criminal settlement. Cuomo was so tough on Hevesi that he forgot to file a sentencing memo for Hevesi and the judge had to ask the new AG to file a sentencing memo. Cuomo dropped the ball in failing to prosecute and convict Hevesi's sons.
ReplyDeleteSorry, Fred Dicker, being tough on crime would include raising corruption charges to a class C felony level, instead of the joke misdemeanor present level. And, Freddie, what about AEG?
Cuomo might pass something like this to impress those who are not news followers...but the fact is that it will adversly affect the ones who will be subjected to the illegal allegations by state Gov. corruptors .. as it definitely will not apply to the ones it is being devised for today without reform in place.
ReplyDeleteOca has already presently made perjurous charges and testified to lies and fabricated documents, against employees who attempted to out them..and being the bad ass court system, the Federal Ct will believe them..whether they have proof or not. The big court never wants to embarrass or out the little court as a lying criminal, submitting false information to affect a certain false outcome. Imagine what the public might do in America if they know this for certain.
So the little people or regular employees of the little courts or government, who intend to expose the crimes being committed in the courthouse and the political families committing them ,behind those solid brick halls..will be the victims of lots of false felony charges written by OCA et al, as OCA then happily removes their retirement as punishment for telling.
The Cuomo law is going to only impact the victims of corruption and not the cowards that perpetuate it. Do not vote for anything like that for now..until the state ethics..corruption action has been written and includes figures like Skelos, Silver etc with no way out for them, otherwise you are sealing the fate of the heroic reformers targeting OCA and state Government!
Why just one comment on such an important story..or are they all eliminated like mine was this AM.
ReplyDeleteWhat I wrote was true about OCA and what they wanted to do to me.
If they could have taken my retirement by accusing and documenting a false felony crime against me, while soliciting their OCA hearing officer Michael Klein..they would have in a flash.
Cuomo's law is dangerous for regular state employees...politically correct enough?
Might Gov. Andy Cuomo be subject to this law sometime in the future? Just something to ponder
ReplyDeleteCuomo and his pals are all whores and they have turned NYS into a big whore house, hang them all.
ReplyDelete