Thursday, December 16, 2010

How Did Comptroller Thompson and the State Controller Miss the $80 Millon Rip Off in Their Audits?

Why Do We Have Audits or for That Matter Controllers If Can't Find $80 Million

Gonzalez: The CityTime scandal finally comes to light Federal prosecutors have finally begun to unravel one of the biggest scandals of the Bloomberg era.(DN) * NYC CityTime consultants charged with $80 million scam (DN) * Four consultants busted for 'scamming' city's payroll system (NYP) * Six charged in $80M 'CityTime' rip-off (NYP) * Fraud Charges in New York’s Payroll Overhaul (NYT) * Six Charged With $80 Million CityTime Fraud(WSJ) * Consultants For City's Payroll Website Face Fraud Charges (NY1) * John Liu Won't Bash Mayor Bloomberg In CityTime Snafu

"The First Scandal of the Bloomberg Administration" Henry Stern, NY Civic

RT @nydailynews BREAKING: NYC Payroll Chief #JoelBondy Suspended In Wake Of #CityTime Scandal http://nydn.us/e14l9r more to follow DNDailyPolitics

BREAKING: NYC Payroll Chief Suspended In CityTime Scandal: Updated
* Councilwoman Says More Arrests Needed In CityTime Scandal

Padro Gets Ready For His Biggest Fight

State senator enters plea in embezzlement case (NYP) * Espada and Son Plead Not Guilty to Embezzling From Health Network (NYT) Make Pedro pay (NYP) Outgoing State Senate Leader, Son Plead Not Guilty To Embezzlement (NY1)* The TU is looking forward to Espada’s trial.* At Soundview, clients want to see Espada behind bars.* LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON: ESPADAS PLEAD NOT GUILTY OF EMBEZZLING CHARGES(Video)

The Case Of the Mayors Missing $1 Million

NYP Attacks John Haggerty. 'Embezzler' has phone-y excuse (NYP) Calls him a disgrace. A couple of months ago on its wood it called him Bloom Burglar. What the NYP did not mention and is included in today's WSJ artilce, is that Haggerty lawyers are accusing Bloomberg of breaking all kinds of campaign finance rules and regulations.

Today's Wall Street Journal

Bloomberg Is Accused of Hiding Election Money

Attorneys for the political operative accused of stealing roughly $1.1 million from Mayor Michael Bloomberg allege in court papers filed Wednesday that the mayor may have violated election laws and tried to "hide" the money that prosecutors claim was stolen. . . Mr. Haggerty's attorneys suggested the district attorney's office should "commence an investigation immediately" into the possibility that the mayor violated laws by transferring personal funds to the Independence Party for the direct purpose of helping his campaign with a ballot-security operation. If Mr. Bloomberg "made the contribution directing how it should be spent, he would be in violation of both the New York State Election Law and the New York City Campaign finance Law," Mr. Haggerty's attorneys allege.State law prohibits contributions in excess of $94,200 to a state party from being used to promote a candidate. City law requires specific expenditures made on behalf of Mr. Bloomberg's campaign be reported, and these expenditures were not reported by the mayor. In the court papers, the attorneys also accuse Mr. Vance's office of prosecutorial misconduct. * 'Embezzler' has phone-y excuse (NYP)

Unsure Of His Future, Jacobs Pledges To Pay Down Dem Debt (YNN)

Editorial: The art of the steal (DN Ed)

Mental note: If ever you are hired to create branding images for a high-profile political campaign, make sure that you deliver original artwork - meaning, not artwork that is so transparently lifted from someone else it is sure to be detected as copied within, well, instants. * E.J. Dionne Jr. takes on the “No Labelers.”

Bloomberg:

Vito Baby the Election Over

Mike slams double-dip pol-pension 'scam' (NYP)

Mayor Bloomberg yesterday blasted as "the ultimate scam" a loophole that will allow Assemblyman Vito Lopez (D-Brooklyn) and 10 other veteran elected officials to collect both a state pension and a legislative salary. * A worker at a nonprofit connected to Assemblyman Vito Lopez pleaded guilty to fraud charges, but the assemblyman is not under investigation. (At least not by Staten Island DA Dan Donovan).

Desperate 911 Responders Say Congress Has No Balls

Zadroga supporters tell Dems to 'grow a set'

Republicans angered them by blocking the $7.4 billion measure on grounds they wanted to extend tax cuts for the wealthy first. The Senate did so Wednesday, but Republicans still are not stepping up. Responders blame them most, but are getting tired of Democrats putting it all on the GOP - noting Democrats control the Senate, where New York Sen. Chuck Schumer is in charge of policy. "I simply cannot fathom that a Democratic-controlled House, Senate and White House cannot get our bill passed," Feal said. (DN) * Hopes Fade for 9/11 Health Bill (WSJ) * The numbers of New Yorkers getting treatment for illnesses that might be related to the toxic aftermath of 9/11 is slowly rising.

Paterson filed his retirement paperwork on Nov. 17 and is poised to start collecting a pension worth some $80,000.

What's He Hiding?

"Gov. David Paterson's decision to archive his papers at Cornell University came with a $250,000 grant the state's official archivist said could have been avoided, and no guarantee of when and how the documents will be made public," says the T-U.

Swearing In in the War Room: A Message?
Andrew Cuomo Inauguration: The Plan

Governor-Elect Andrew Cuomo Filling Out His Cabinet

The Fat Lady Sings On A Democratic State Senate

**Supreme Court Certifies 7th Senate Race for Mart**in

* Appellate Court Dismisses Johnson Suit In 7th SD

* Johnson To Appeal (YNN)

Dean Skelos' party for new GOP state senators and fatcat lobbyists reeked of Albany sleaze(DN ED) * OINK! Congress pigs out with $8 BILLION earmark pork fest (DN)
* Senate Majority Leader-in-waiting Dean Skelos insists Republicans have “learned from the past,” but that doesn’t mean a share-and-share-alike approach with the Democrats is in the offing.

The New York delegation has its share of pork projects in the $1.1 trillion 2011 spending bill.

Secret Senate Democrats’ Contract Guaranteed 80 Percent Of Business To Parkside (City Hall)

Parkside's Role in the City Council Slush Fund Investigation Has Gone Nowhere

A Letter to Garcia: (Michael) Garcia U.S. Attorney

New York's Economic Meltdown

City to test out cheap Access-A-Ride program (DN) * The city's massive wreath cut (NYP) * City's 10-year construction plan shredded, budget director orders 20% reduction (DN) * Large Gulf Remains in Stuyvesant Town Rent Case (NYT) * Jay-Z hotel put to bed (NYP) * At Hospital, Preparing for a Strike (NYT) * Doctors At Harlem Hospital Blast Pension Change; Threaten To Go On Strike (NY1) * Prepare for more fare and toll hikes in 2011. * That new school, playground or bridge that was planned for your neighborhood may now be doomed, after the city's capital plan was cut.* Document Drop: OTB And Retirees (DN)

With a new contract, no strike at Harlem Hospital CrainsNY

Standing up to save New York By FELIX G. ROHATYN * Coming attraction from Andy (Dicker, NYP)

Terrorism Life Sentence for Plotting To Set Off Blasts at J.F.K. (NYT) * U.S. Rethinks Strategy for the Unthinkable (NYT) * Life term for JFK blowup conspirator (DN)

Law and Order Hunt Is On for Serial Killer in Long Island Deaths (NYT) * Mom Fears Worst as Police Probe Possible L.I. Serial Killer(WSJ) * Daly: No one notices a missing hooker until there are 2 (DN) * Same thug in all 3 rapes - cops (DN) * City to test out cheap Access-A-Ride program (DN) * Awaiting Soho 'murder' charge (NYP) * Serial-slay house raid Police question john on Long Is. (NYP) Jef-deaf jury gives pair $21M (NYP) Police Search For Serial Rapist In Brooklyn * Jury convicts NYPD officer in perfume robber * Queens sniper gets 384 years in prison (NYP)

Media and New Tech Co-workers at Channel 7 'betrayed' by 'rape-lie' weather gal (NYP)

Bloomberg LP will start publishing editorials intended to channel the “personal philosophy and worldview” of its founder. More here. * Larry King Signing Off
* Bloomberg L.P. will "begin publishing editorials across its vast media enterprise in an effort to broaden the company’s influence on national affairs. And though Mr. Bloomberg has an agreement with the city to have no involvement in the “day-to-day operations” of his company, the endeavor, called Bloomberg View, is intended to channel his personal philosophy and worldview," says the NYT's Jeremy Peters.

National Economy

Phone-Wielding Shoppers Strike Fear Into Retailers Mobile-shopping programs mean competitors can beat a store's prices -- even as customers are standing in its aisles. (WSJ)

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Other Views

On October 15, 1958, veteran broadcaster Edward R. Murrow delivered his famous "wires and lights in a box" speech (VIDEO) The Last Lion of Tammany HOW JIMMY McMANUS, MANHATTAN’S LAST GREAT TAMMANY DISTRICT LEADER, HELPED TO REVIVE HELL’S KITCHEN AND THE THEATER DISTRICT c By James S. Kaplan f On January 13, 2011, the law firm of Proskauer Rose moved into 11 Times Square, which is located on 42nd Street between 7th and 8th Avenues. In moving west to the final building of the City’s Times Square redevelopment, the Proskauer firm joined such other major law firms as Cravath, Swaine & Moore, Covington & Burling, Roberts & Holland, and the advertising firm of Ogilvy & Mather. That such major professional firms, along with a number of newly constructed luxury apartment buildings on 42nd Street from ninth to eleventh avenue and trendy restaurants and off Broadway theaters would be located west of 8th Avenue in midtown would have been almost inconceivable fifty years ago. Tammany Last Stand Continued

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