Lobbyist = Elected Officials Bagmen
Was the Empire State Beer Distributors Association asked by Kruger to hire Lipsky the lobbyist? Or did Lipsky tell the Beer company that he can get Kruger on board. 10 days after Lipsky was hired by Empire Mr. Kruger co-sponsor a bill on beer pricing that the company wanted. Medisys the health care company that operated troubled hospitals and payed off Seminerio, Kruger and Boyland increased increased their spending on lobbyists from about $30,000 a year to more than $200,000 a year over the last three years. While talking about the state’s fiscal woes, former Gov. David Paterson and legislative leaders borrowed money to pay for pet projects.
Is Kruger the Only Elected Official in Albany With Secret Bank Accounts?
In 2001 lobbyist spent $80 million on lobbying in Albany, this years that amount is $211 million. That is over a million per elected official. That amount does not even take into account campaign contributions and inkind contribution lobbyist give incumbent during their reelections. Hospital groups -- another perennial Albany lobbying leader -- spent a total of $5.9 million, including campaign donations last year.
Kruger's Payment for Services Rendered
In 2007, after a developer's (Mr. Malinsky) plans for a Home Depot project were approved by a community board headed by Ms. Turano (the mother of Kruger's companion - all living in the same house) , the complaint says, it took just two weeks for Mr. Malinsky to direct his first $5,000 payoff to Mr. Kruger through the Turanos. As of December, it says, Mr. Malinsky had paid $472,500 in bribes.
Forest City Public Tit Money Caught in Corrupt Kruger
Bruce Bender, an executive with the development company Forest City Ratner who came out of Kruger's Thomas Jefferson club, was pressing him for $15 million in state funding for three Brooklyn projects. Mr. Kruger said he would get back to him. Half an hour later, he checked with his aides, found out he had $500,0000 left over at his own discretion, and told them to give it to the company for a project at Prospect Park. “I love you,” Mr. Bender said a few minutes later In a Series of Phone Calls, an Ear Into a Federal Corruption Case * Atlantic Yards Efforts in View in Kruger Case(WSJ) * "I Don't Mind F-king The Bridge."(Develop Don't Destroy) *WSJ, regarding Kruger case, goes easy on FCR's obligation to rebuild bridge, reveals unmet request for additional city housing subsidy (Atlantic Yard Report) * Dancing around the Kruger indictment, Markowitz reminds Brooklynites, "In Unity There is Strength," de Blasio ignores Carlton Avenue Bridge (Atlantic Yard Report) * An imaginary dialogue between Bruce Ratner and Bruce Bender: "What did you mean when you told Carl Kruger 'I don't mind fucking the bridge'?"(Atlantic Yard Report) * Lightning Keeps Striking: It Couldn’t Happen To Some More Deserving People . . Over and Over, Again- Ratner, Illegal Bribes and Jay-Z and Beyoncé (Noticing New York) * More shame on New York (TU Ed) * Orange Bureau Confidential: Carlucci giving up cash from Kruger (Times Herald Record)
Lipsky was Ratner's Forest City 2nd Lobbyist Bribery Indictment in A Year
Bruce Bender, an executive with the development company Forest City Ratner who came out of Kruger's Thomas Jefferson club, was pressing him for $15 million in state funding for three Brooklyn projects. Mr. Kruger said he would get back to him. Half an hour later, he checked with his aides, found out he had $500,0000 left over at his own discretion, and told them to give it to the company for a project at Prospect Park. “I love you,” Mr. Bender said a few minutes later In a Series of Phone Calls, an Ear Into a Federal Corruption Case * Atlantic Yards Efforts in View in Kruger Case(WSJ) * "I Don't Mind F-king The Bridge."(Develop Don't Destroy) *WSJ, regarding Kruger case, goes easy on FCR's obligation to rebuild bridge, reveals unmet request for additional city housing subsidy (Atlantic Yard Report) * Dancing around the Kruger indictment, Markowitz reminds Brooklynites, "In Unity There is Strength," de Blasio ignores Carlton Avenue Bridge (Atlantic Yard Report) * An imaginary dialogue between Bruce Ratner and Bruce Bender: "What did you mean when you told Carl Kruger 'I don't mind fucking the bridge'?"(Atlantic Yard Report) * Lightning Keeps Striking: It Couldn’t Happen To Some More Deserving People . . Over and Over, Again- Ratner, Illegal Bribes and Jay-Z and Beyoncé (Noticing New York) * More shame on New York (TU Ed) * Orange Bureau Confidential: Carlucci giving up cash from Kruger (Times Herald Record)
Shedding light on the Legislature's slush-fund Culture
"I guess the park. F--- the bridge"
An FBI listening device showed just how much money an individual lawmaker can control - and just how routinely a legislator can dole it out, without accountability or sound judgment, to special friends. Forest City's Bender was seeking an amazing $15 million: $9 million for a bridge related to his company's Atlantic Yards project, $2 million for a retail center in Mill Basin and $4 million to renovate a skating rink in Prospect Park. In Albany, where pork accounts are so numerous that Senate officials couldn't be quite sure on Friday which account the $4 million came from or where it ended up.Prosecutors have warned for years that this secretive, unaccountable spending is guaranteed to breed corruption. Crooked Carl Kruger wallowed in Albany's corrupt pork-barrel slush-fund ways (DN Ed) * Untangling the "conundrum" of Carlton Avenue Bridge; crucial delays were (likely) caused by FCR's cheaper redesign of the permanent Vanderbilt Yard (Atlantic Yards Report)
Carl Kruger tape: 'Take it and enjoy it' (Newsday)
Carl Kruger tape: 'Take it and enjoy it' (Newsday)
Another Corrupt Kruger Land Deal
Kruger's political favor used his political muscle to hold up a Bloomberg administration project in Brooklyn at least three years to benefit a favored developer (NYP)* Kruger used his political muscle to hold up a Bloomberg administration project for three years. Hospitals Look to Albany $$$ As Their Salvation
“There is an environment in which people have come to believe that their is in Albany, not in what they can do for themselves,” said Stephen Berger, who served on Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s Medicaid reform task force. Shedding Light on Influence of Hospitals on Albany Some hospitals look to Albany for their salvation — and a corruption case suggests that sometimes corners are cut. * MediSys Chief Ousted(WSJ)
Kruger's Future Way to Communicate
On Jan. 12, he scolded Mr. Lipsky for e-mailing one of Mr. Kruger’s Senate aides about something. “No good,” he said. “I thought we were anti-e-mails?” “I thought it was innocuous,” Mr. Lipsky said.
“All e-mails are never innocuous,” Mr. Kruger shot back. “Even the weather report.”
“All right, I got ya,” Mr. Lipsky said.
On the phone, they used euphemisms, albeit awkwardly. “I have a memo to show you so, uh, we’ll see if we can hook up,”Lipsky said on Feb. 10.
“A memo about what?” Mr. Kruger asked.
“You’ll figure it out later, O.K.?” Mr. Lipsky replied. He added: “You’re the one who always phrases it that way, so that’s why I used that phraseology.”
Mr. Lipsky sighed, then added, “It’s for Bassett.”
Bassett was the name of a bank account Mr. Kruger used to deposit bribes, prosecutors say; “memo” was code for a payoff. Kruger's sly game of hide-and-sneak (NYP) * How NYS Senator Carl Kruger Tried Eluding Feds (YW)
4 is Company
Feds: State Sen. Kruger is one dirty pol (Brooklyn Paper)
Dirty Money and Dirty Laundry- Carl Kruger Arrested Along With Boyfriend (Lezget Real) * US senator and gay lover in bribe storm (Pink Paper) * Media Runs With Kruger Gay StoriesGay City News
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I Should Have Know Better
Kruger was indicted in 1982(Court papers)
As a young Assembly staff aide and chairman of Community Board 18 in 1981 when Brooklyn prosecutors accused him him and another community activist of extorting bribes from developers. Both were acquitted at two nonjury trials by a hand picked Brooklyn machine judge. Indicted State Sen. Carl Kruger has beaten the rap before, avoiding conviction 30 years ago
More on Kruger Racist Past
About the Kruger role in the racist flyer distributed for Mark Green during the 2001 Mayorial campaign that showed Fernando Ferrer kissing Rev. Sharpton ass, the Senator said, "My perception was, prejudice is in the eyes of the beholder. If someone is supporting someone's campaign, there's no reason on Earth why someone else can't point that out." Kruger Responds (NYO)
Albany: Dodge City without Wyatt Earp
What the case of Pedro Espada says about our corrupt Albany government By TOM ROBBINS (NYP)
Stand By Your Man
Willets Point United stands by lobbyist Richard Lipsky despite Kruger bribery ...
Et tu, Richard? (CrainsNY)
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| Brooklyn Navy Yard |
Developer at Brooklyn Navy Yard charged in federal bribery case (The Real Deal)
Impertinent Question
How Can You Stop the Mob in Construction As Long As Albany Runs Their Own Extortion Games?
Union removes manager because of mob ties Ratted out by mob informants, the boss of a major city concrete workers union was booted Friday in an effort to break decades of Colombo crime family control. (DN)
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McLaughlin to Seminerio to Kruger and Boyland. . . NEXT?
Sources: Sen. Kruger Probe Just Getting Warmed Up
Sources told Kramer that the investigation is on-going and that the taps and bugs on Kruger’s and other defendants’ phones have produced a cornucopia of possible corruption leads — even the complaint filed against Kruger has hints of possible new avenues of investigation. There is a reference to a Kruger conversation regarding “senator 1″ and a number of chats about “senate leader #1.”
On the FBI tapes, the late Assemblyman Seminerio was heard offering his own cynical epitaph: “What the f - - - does it mean that we’re elected officials?” he said. “It doesn’t mean s - - -.”
As the Feds Seize Homes CityTime Contractors Homes Albany Will Give A Pension to Kruger
$28M CityTime clawback The Manhattan federal court filing also seeks ownership of eight properties purchased by defendants in the case, including two Manhasset, LI, homes worth more than $1 million each.(NYP)
Albany's Health Care Budget Battle
NYT Disses Cuomo and Sides With Trial Lawyers, Gives Assembly Cover
Medicaid and the N.Y. Budget: A Bad Deal on Malpractice There are better and fairer ways to reform the malpractice system and save money than a one-size-fits-all cap on payments. (NYT Ed) * Doctor with disabled son is no fan of gov.'s plan on suits(DN) * At State-Run Homes, Abuse and Impunity New York’s network of small group homes operates with scant oversight and few consequences for employees who abuse the population. (NYT) After learning of the story’s findings, Gov. Andrew Cuomo forced the resignation of two top state employees. The Journal News cautions the governor and legislative leaders to consider the “human cost” when cutting Medicaid.
Big Brother (The Rich) are Forcing You To Think Their Way
Orwellian TV Ads Politics
Most New Yorkers get their information about government budget cutbacks by TV by commercials paid for by the unknown rich or special interest unions. With falling newspaper circulation, the increasing reliance of light happy talk on local news and the lose of old time journalists like the voice's Barrett and Robins these Orwellian type ads are all that is out there. There are ads running dozens of times a day telling us lot fight Bloomberg's LIFO plan, support it and support Cuomo's health care cuts. Gov. Cuomo wants lobbying groups to disclose financial backers (DN) Groups like AQE, NYPIRG and the CSNY to be forced to disclose their donors.
Pay to Play Shirley Huntley Charity pol probed AG eyeing Huntley over shady nonprofit
Education '
Cuomo On LIFO We Will Wait Until New Evaluation System in Place
Gov. Cuomo won't accept changes to 'last in, first out' until a new evaluation system in place (DN) * Cuomo goes slow on LIFO (NYP) The state Board of Regents is devising that system, which is expected to be ready in June. The Mayor is pushing for quicker action, saying he wants to begin laying off teachers in coming weeks so they have time to find jobs before the next school year begins in September. * Most Teachers in Disciplinary Limbo Have Returned to Class(NYT)
Cathie $3M parting gift
Facebook vent burns teacher (NYP)
School Hazards
E.P.A. Rejects City Timeline on PCBs (NYT) * NY1 Exclusive: Hundreds Of City Schools Use Dirty, Dangerous Heating Oil
Breaking News: Deadly Accident
In face of unspeakable horrors, crews bravely go about their business (DN) * Bronx bus accident driver is wracked by guilt after crash, says his wife * Police Probe Death Of 14 In Bronx Tour Bus Crash* Fatal Bus Accident Now a Criminal Investigation(WNBC TV) * Firm's safety woe (NYP) * Bronx bus crash survivor: 'I saw people split open'(NYP)
14 dead after Bronx bus turns over on highway (NYP) * Overnight Casino Trips Mean Low Fares for Riders, and Grueling Days for Drivers (NYT)
Sunday Wood
Rev. Diaz Gay Rights Seaman
Navy blues for pol kin
She's fighting to change her country, her military -- and even her family. Former Navy Seaman Erica Diaz -- the lesbian granddaughter of vehement gay-marriage opponent state Sen. Ruben Diaz (D-Bronx) -- was bounced from the military three years ago when she outed herself to her superiors.
Payback A Bitch . . . What Will She Do to Park Slope?
Janette Sadik-Khan Gets Even With Residents and Landlords Who Stopped Her 34th Street Carless Plaza
New 34th St. Traffic Plan Gives Cars Just 2 Lanes (NYT) * It's feast & furious (NYP) * Bike-sniping Weiner's dubious 'lane' change (NYP)* DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan’s latest quest: Pop-up cafes.
Taxi Overcharges Should Lead to Lifetime Suspension
Stiffer penalties are warranted in crackdown on cab drivers who refuse to take fares outside Midtown (DN Ed)* Cabby Is Sentenced for Overcharging Received probation and community service. * Stiffer penalties are warranted in crackdown on cab drivers who refuse to take fares outside Midtown (DN Ed)
Working chutzpah Party(NYP Ed)
The Working Families Party is calling for . . . cleaner government by calling for public financed campaigns. A rich irony: Violating campaign-finance rules is precisely what the WFP itself has been repeatedly accused of doing. Lingering Questions On The WFP (CHN)
Law and Order Woman, man, boy work together to 'shoplift' on Upper West Side (NYP) * Defendant in 3 Killings Seeks to Give Guilty Plea (NYT) * Charges Dropped in Hamster’s Death (NYT) * Man indicted on 62 counts in sex slave case (DN) * Suspect in ex-wife's fatal stabbing at Manhattan salon busted in Baltimore (DN) * Children of woman stabbed to death in salon visit scene of murder (DN) * Man Arrested In Connection With Ex-Wife's Stabbing (NY1) * Brooklyn Man Pleads Not Guilty To Keeping Sex Slave In Apartment(NY1) * Police hunt for Manhattan muggers (WABC TV) *Terror task force flap nearly smacks top NYPD official (DN) * Brooklyn cop killed after being pushed down stairs (NYP) * 'Slay' extradite (NYP) * Cop slain when perp shoves him off stoop (NYP)
A Pol Catching A Crook?
Con artist poses as diplomat raising cash for fake charity, arrested after call to Sen. Espaillat (DN)
Saturday's Wood
Media and New Tech
Bill Maher To Muslim Rep. Keith Ellison: The Qur’an Is A ‘Hate Filled Holy Book’
Lock Out
It's official: NFL owners lock out players after months of negotiations stall(DN) * NFL Enters Work Stoppage After Union Talks Fall Apart (NY1)
Is Spider-Man Dead?
Broadway's "Spider-Man" To Go Dark For Weeks(NY1)
"Spider-Man" to shutter April 19, open June 15 (Wash Post) * A Broadway Superlative for All the Wrong Reasons (NYT)
By Controling the Investigations Nobody on Wall Street Goes to Jail. . . Justed Fined
Lehman Probe Stalls; Chance of No Charges(WSJ)
WS Killed Middle Class Housing
Major changes ahead for mortgage system as U.S. seeks to scale back role in housing (Wash Post)
