SquarePegDem's Blog

A lobbying firm with close ties to new Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and many other minority politicians has been retained to push a controversial bill that would allow check cashers to make high-interest loans, records show.

In December, the MirRam Group was hired by Financial Service Centers of New York, an industry group, for $10,000 a month to push check cashers’ bill in Albany. Mr. Heastie, D-Bronx, then became speaker—a development that clients of MirRam may see as a stroke of luck. MirRam co-founder Roberto Ramirez, a former assemblyman and Bronx Democratic leader, is reportedly helping Mr. Heastie with his transition.

Mr. Heastie had in 2013 sponsored the check cashers’ legislation, which the Daily News called "horrendeous" and which was also opposed by Benjamin Lawsky, the Cuomo administration’s chief banking regulator.

MirRam is particularly influential among minority elected officials in Manhattan and the Bronx. Mr. Lawsky, who heads the Department of Financial Services, has said the check cashers’ bill would legalize predatory lending, which he is trying to eradicate. A source close to the bill’s proponents said it may be amended to better protect borrowers and to address other concerns that critics have.

MirRam in the past has represented clients serving minority neighborhoods, such as the livery car industry. The check cashers argue that their bill, like reforms of the city’s taxi industry in recent years, would reshape an antiquated industry that poorly served these neighborhoods. They say the interest on the loans would reflect the risk to the lender, but would be lower than rates charged by the illicit lenders to whom borrowers often turn when shunned by banks.

Read the rest here => http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20150211/BLOGS04/150219981/industry-group-cashes-in-with-heastie-lobbyist

Michael Benjamin

[Via IBT] The tones of surprise and outrage emanating from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s lips in the wake of the stunning criminal complaint against New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver might give the impression that the governor hovers above the fray of Albany’s transactional politics.

“I’ll tell you the truth: I was totally shocked on a number of levels,” Governor Cuomo said of the allegations that Silver used his office to help politically connected real estate developers in their state business. Cuomo has positioned himself as a champion of ethics reform, declaringthat “these acts of corruption are so damning.”

But a careful review of state documents reveals that Cuomo and Silver are connected by a key figure in the scandal. Both lawmakers have a financial relationship with the same New York real estate mogul, Leonard Litwin, who has in turn relied upon them for preferential tax treatment and other government benefits.

Read more => http://m.ibtimes.com/cuomo-officials-directed-state-loan-cuomo-donor-center-corruption-probe-1807476

Michael Benjamin

In an article published online today, the NY Post reports that upstate FBI agents, possibly working with the Office of the US Attorney Northern District, are investigating allegations of voter fraud, fraudulent nominating petition signatures and possibly personal use of campaign funds by Bronx pols connected to the Bronx Democratic County Committee.

According to the story, materials turned over to the FBI included evidence of alleged voter fraud — particularly alleged fake signatures on voter petitions.

[Click on link to read the NY Post story – http://nypost.com/2015/02/09/fbi-probing-bronx-political-machine-sources/]

One of my local sources says that one document turned over to federal authorities shows that some candidates in unnamed Bronx districts got more votes than the number of voters who went into the booths.

An additional source told me that Jonathan Dienst of WNBC news is investigating and is putting together a news report based on interviews with those persons making those allegations.

But I am circumspect in believing the accusations. I’ve spoken to several sources who believe there are three possible investigative tracks. In 2014, insurgent candidates Elliot Quiñones and William Moore made accusations of petition and voter fraud against Sen. Ruben Diaz, Sr. and Assemblyman Marcos Crespo. Moore also alleged voter fraud in the 2014 primary election result.

A year earlier, insurgent Julio Pabon found nearly enough fake signatures in an election case involving CM Maria del Carmen Arroyo that almost resulted in her getting tossed off the ballot (in 2013). And an anti-Espaillat group claimed that the Espaillat congressional campaign had forged petition signatures and registered sham voters from the same set of apartment addresses in 2014.

The Diaz/Crespo case involves allegations of forgeries and overvoting. The chief accuser, William Moore is a former pal of Eric Stevenson, the disgraced ex-assemblyman (79AD-Bronx) and a disgruntled ex-employee at the Office of the Bronx Borough President. Moore was fired by then-BP Carrion for cause. Another accuser in this case is Camella Pinkney-Price, a former aide to BP Ruben Diaz, Jr. and ex-chief of staff to Sen. Diaz.

Back In 2013, Pabon and attorney Donald Dunn almost had Councilwoman Arroyo thrown off the Democratic primary ballot for petition fraud. The Bronx DA is supposedly prosecuting the Arroyo petition-gatherers thought responsible for the forgeries.

Former Democratic district leader Ken Padilla wrote In a Facebook post that "If this relates to the Diazes…there is stuff there…and witnesses." Padilla added, "Senator Diaz admitted years ago that he took money from a not-for-profit (the now-defunct Soundview Community in Action), about $5000, to buy furniture for his Senate Office and buy speakers for his campaign vans. But then-AG Spitzer gave [Sen. Diaz] a slap on the wrist." He also says that Spitzer’s successor as state Attorney General, Andrew Cuomo lost the SCA file.

Padilla dismissed involvement by Speaker Heastie in the alleged frauds as "not likely."

Mr. Padilla is a federal ICE official working in Florida.

And the Espaillat accusers didn’t provide convincing evidence to me. Overvoting is harder due to electronic scanning of ballots. I had heard of it but had not seen evidence.

If the accusations reported in the Post story even proved true, it probably can’t be pinned on the Bronx Democratic County organization or Speaker Carl Heastie. And I doubt that County’s election lawyer, Stanley Schlein or an agent acting on the organization’s behalf orchestrated the alleged forgeries or ballot-stuffing.

The Post story by John Crudele seems another attempt to sully the reputation of the new Assembly Speaker and current Bronx county leader Carl Heastie. As I write in a City and State column, Heastie’ s ascension "has drawn a bull’s eye on his back."

Veteran political consultant Jerry Skurnick tweeted a link to the last "scandal" Crudele uncovered [http://t.co/X2xpFrk9xC/s/4j1x]. The link was to a Columbia Journalism Review (CJR) article that called out Crudele for a 2013 column headlined “Census ‘faked’ 2012 election jobs report.” The author of the CJR article wrote that "Crudele re-opened the fake controversy with an atrocious piece of journalism…" that was based on a single discredited source.

As I stated earlier, readers should remain circumspect.

It seems that certain special interests and permanent government types are spooked by the longterm implications of an unencumbered Speaker Heastie. Stay tuned.

http://nypost.com/2015/02/09/fbi-probing-bronx-political-machine-sources/

Capital NY reported yesterday that NY AG Eric Schneiderman has filed a second set of criminal charges against Queens City Councilman Ruben Wills in less than a year.

(Via Capital NY) New York City councilman Ruben Wills has been indicted on five counts of filing false documents with the New York City Conflict of Interest Board, state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a release Tuesday.

Wills allegedly filed five different statements with the board between 2011 and 2013 that each failed to disclose “certain financial dealings,” Schneiderman’s office said in a statement.If convicted, Wills would face between 16 months and four years in prison, the statement said.

Wills served as an aide to former state senator Shirley Huntley, who was arrested on corruption charges by Schneiderman in 2012, before joining the City Council in 2011.
http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/city-hall/2015/02/8561490/wills-indicted-five-counts-filing-false-disclosures

A week before arrest by NY AG Eric Schneiderman, @CM_RubenWills filed amended disclosure forms. Story by @GloriaPazmino http://t.co/XZZzPa2Rc9 via @capitalnewyork

Schneide

What You Should Know by Sen. Rev. Ruben Diaz, Sr.

Since 2009, I Have Been Trying to Prevent It

You should know that in order to prevent corruption and the temptation of elected officials from earning money from outside of their legislative salaries, back in 2009, which was six years ago, I introduced a piece of legislation, S.3149, which prohibits a member of the legislature from engaging in any outside paid activity during his or her term of office. In other words, the New York State Legislature should be a full-time Legislature.

You should also know that for six consecutive years, I have re-introduced this bill. In 2015 the same bill is known as S.111. The only member of the Assembly to ever sponsor this bill was former Assemblyman Greg Ball, who introduced in that house in 2009 and 2010. Since then, no member of the Assembly has introduced the bill in that house, and no support has been given from the leadership of the Senate to bring this bill to the floor for a vote.

If the Senate and the Assembly leadership would have taken a look at my piece of legislation and would have given it the green light, I could assure, you that many of my colleagues would not be regretting their extra-curricular activities.

I am not a prophet, nor the son of a prophet, but in 2009, when I introduced my legislation, I wrote a justification paragraph explaining the legislation. Anyone that reads it would think that it was a prophecy:

JUSTIFICATION: How much transparency should be demanded by the people of their representatives? As long as we allow legislators to hold outside business interests, there is a potential that these outside business interests could one day cause a serious conflict of interest,
or at least in the public’s eye, the perception of one. This bill prohibits members of the legislature from engaging in any outside paid activity during their term of office. The public has a right to know that his or her Senator or Assemblyperson is not beholden to outside financial pressures. The best way to limit legislators’ outside income is to eliminate it.

I hope that after all the recent scandals, my fellow legislators will see fit to give the green light to my bill.

This is State Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz, and this is what you should know.

The NY Post reports that former Queens city council candidate Al Baldeo was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for illegal campaign donations and witness tampering.

According to the report, Baldeo "was sentenced to 18 months in prison Monday for funneling illegal campaign contributions into his unsuccessful bid for a Queens council seat.In the fall of 2010, Baldeo, who was a district leader at the time, received illegal contributions through intermediaries, also known as straw donors.

"Manhattan federal prosecutors charged the crooked pol with seven counts of obstructing justice last August. Baldeo, 54, was also found guilty of tampering with witnesses by instructing them to lie to the feds.Baldeo’s lawyer, Christina Corcoran, pleaded with the judge not to imprison the “already broken man.”

“Mr. Baldeo’s story is a tragic one, I think,” she said. “He raised himself up, got a law degree, became a magistrate judge. He lost it all based on bad judgment.”

But federal Judge Paul Crotty wasn’t buying it.“What Mr. Baldeo did over an extended period of time was pollute the administration of justice. It’s even worse because Mr. Baldeo is a lawyer. His sentence demands incarceration,” Crotty said.

Baldeo also has to pay $15,700, do 300 hours of community service and spend three months on house arrest following his prison time. He must report to prison by March 23."

http://nypost.com/2015/02/03/queens-pol-gets-18-months-for-illegal-campaign-contributions/

Michael Benjamin