Dean Skelos, New York Senate Leader, and His Son Are Said to Be Focus of Corruption Inquiry

Fascinating. The publicly quoted parent company, Abtech Holdings, had total revenues of $610,000 last year, yet Nassau County signed a $12 million contract with them.

http://www.google.com/finance?q=OTCMKTS%3AABHD&fstype=ii&ei=SqIw...

And in virtually every instance these indicted politicians will be re-elected by the voters in their district. We have met the enemy and he is us.

Go Preet. Lock them up one at a time, because we all know 99% of our representatives in Albany are crooks -- like their leader, the corrupt Andy Cuomo.

No kidding? NYS legislators, corrupt?

Albany is a city. The cesspool of corruption is state government, not Albany.

Term limits -- state, national and local. It's the only solution to rid the infested system of career politicians (crooks). Of course the crooks (career politicians) would have to vote to put term limits on the ballots. Catch 22.

Joe Bruno, Sheldon Silver, Dean Skelos, Elliot Spitzer.....anyone think there's a REAL PROBLEM up in Albany, affecting the way this state is run? Anyone think that Cuomo and Heastie (who?) are going to "clean it up"? Yeah right, and the Mets are gonna win the World Series this year too....

Are there ANY honest people in Albany?
It's a cesspool of corruption.
Any incumbent from this day forward should be assumed to be dishonest until it is proven overwise.

He's taking on cleaning up corruption on Riker's Island and up in Albany so I say PREET BHARARA FOR PRESIDENT!

Well it appears that two of the troika are cooked.

When it came to the Moreland Commission Cuomo decided to drop the gun and pick up the cannoli's.

The English-speaking world is really missing out on a very punny opportunity. Skelos (Greek for dog) is in the doghouse!

Yes, and we have Menendez under scrutiny in NJ. Why are all of the crooks in the Northeast? We need to start over !

Corruption is bi-partisan!

if true:
come on - - -
come on - - -
enough already !!

the broom cannot be too large...
or arrive too soon...

jeeze

What must be reassuring to New Yorkers is to know that, until quite recently, the "three men in a room" were Sheldon Silver, Dean Skelos and Andrew Cuomo. Preet Bharara, fortunately, can't be bought and shares our collective disgust at a system that's so brazenly corrupt.

Two words that Mr. Bharara spoke a few months ago ought to be most reassuring of all: "Stay tuned."

It's amazing and appalling how so many elected officials, once in office, start to treat their position and influence as their own private checking accounts (except with no records of deposits made). Between that and the Tea Party, it's truly sad to think how much our system of laws and government - created over 200 years ago by our brilliant, idealistic and HONEST Founding Fathers - has been warped and compromised by greed.

. I realize these gentlemen have not been convicted of anything but is every politician in New York corrupt? Pointing at other hellholes to excuse yours won't feed the bulldog.

Hopefully, Preet Bharara will focus on Andy next and turn three men in a room into three men in a cell.

As an Illinois resident, perhaps those pointing fingers at our state government corruption, should look at some other states "cleanliness". At least our corruption has been paid for with prison time....George Ryan, Rod Blagojavich, etc. Believe it or not, we have had some non-corrupted governors also.

Every time an Albany politician is indicted, an angel gets it wings.

Wouldn't be surprised to learn that Silver is working with the feds in order to secure some leniency for himself in the future.
In other words, I think Shelley dropped a dime on Skelos.

The state of corruption in state government in the NY metro area is truly jaw-dropping.

NYC: Silver Skelos, Bruno, and oh, yes "It's my commission so I can disband it at will" Cuomo!

Look south to NJ, and see "Bridgegate" Christie, who still may be indicted, and who succeeded "MF Global" Corzine. And look north, and you see John Rowlands about to go to jail, without passing "go."

And this is supposed to be the enlightened, well-educated part of the nation...

New York's governing bodies are just appalling. I live in New York and California and the differences in governance are stark. California has term limits on statewide offices preventing the permanent "3 men in a room" situation that pervades in New York. The ballot initiative system, while overused in California, gives its citizens a direct say in how the state operates. In fact, term limits were voted in as a partial response to Willie Brown being the "permanent" leader of the state assembly (15 years) - Californians were able to take matters into their own hands. If only the governing system in New York were not so locked down on the side of politicians and against its citizenry...

I'm beginning to get the impression that political corruption is a problem for the Tri-state area. At least it involves a Republican this time, so we can get back to our usual self-righteous blend of political hatefulness about this issue.

Fortunately, we don't have any problems like this down here.

"Former SC state rep, Thad Viers, pleads guilty to money laundering"
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/crime/article17820476.html

The simple fact that every financial transaction entered into by New York or any other state that does not go through the office of the state's comptroller will and has made sweet deals the norm. Make millions illegally and pay a fine for doing so; is not much of a deterrent is it; yet that's usually what's handed down. Doesn't give a government, of the people, any high marks at all.

Two grand juries and one indictment from the Federal Government since Andrew Cuomo deemed the Moreland Commissions work finished. Hmmm.

Can an investigation continue when it comes to Glenwood and all the donor $ given to Cuomo? Glenwood has to be one of the worst managing agents in NYC, but loved by REBNY due to their deep pockets donation to elected officials.

The worst corruption in New York State is completely legal. Glenwood Management, owned by real-estate multimillionaire Leonard Litwin, has contributed millions of dollars to Cuomo, Skelos, Sheldon Silver, Jeff Klein, the now-convicted Malcolm Smith, and more, thanks to the "LLC loophole" that enables landlords to make the maximum contribution from various parcels of property.

And people wonder why the state legislature won't strengthen rent-regulation laws? Or repeal the law that prohibits New York City from making its own laws stronger? Or even enact campaign-finance reforms that close the LLC loophole?

This corruption has made renting an apartment completely unaffordable for millions of New Yorkers, while a handful of multimillionaires profit. Next to it, an insurance kickback is small change.

Money: Don't you just love it?

Shine a little light on these characters and they scurry like the little cockroaches they are. You go, Preet!

Disgusting but certainly not surprising.

Right up until the last paragraph about the mortgage I was somewhat willing to see the efforts of a federal prosecutor as being a bit opportunistic and even grandstanding.
But when officials allow those involved in a business 'decision" to write a mortgage for them, the only conclusion that seems reasonable id that they simply were hoping no one was going to look too closely at tbeir dealings.
This is how Rep. Duke Cunningham of San Diego was caught with his hand in the till...house and property sales are public records and a reporter looked at a home (and boat) virtually paid for by those having business anf hoping for favor from our legislative processes.
So, looking at that final paragraph...I have to say, Well done, NYTimes. Well done.

And Governor Cuomo didn't think we needed an ethics commission. He is truly pathetic. I think the Times deserves some blame as well, for endorsing the governor for re-election.

How damning is it that this state cannot clean its own house. We have a district attorney. He, apparently, isn't doing his job much like the ones before him. Shouldn't he be highly encouraged to resign and if that doesn't work then shouldn't he be impeached?

It's easy to understand how these things happen if you realize one cardinal rule: From the moment a person decides to run for elected office, they are corrupt because of the way the system works. There are no exceptions to this rule. It doesn't matter if the candidate is someone you've trusted and loved all your life. From day #1 of their candidacy, they are corrupt. If you think you've found someone to whom this rule doesn't apply, what you've actually found is a great actor.

Term limits. Please! Term limits!

Zephyr Teachout! Next time all of you who forgot to vote or whatever it was might do yourselves a favor and get out to the polls.

I live about a half mile from the NY State capital and I can tell you the stench of corruption is palatable!
Cuomo said he was going to "fix" the corrupt system but when his ethics investigators got to close to revealing what Silver was up to, he "fixed" the problem for him and took a hatchet to the ethics committee!
Corruption in government is almost like the daily gun violence in the US. We have become inured to the dishonesty and the violence and have come to accept it as part of 21st century life in the US. That will be the undoing of this elegant experiment in democracy and self rule!

Great job, NYT. Thanks for tracking down the details. The last item, on the mortgage, is priceless.

Karma. Sometimes it happens quickly, sometimes it takes 21 years. Some where Ralph Marino, the former New York Senate leader, who Skelos turned on in 1994, is smiling. Skelos put a knife in his friend Marino's back in a political power grab. But now he looks as if the feds are closing down on his misdoings. Karma.

I'm shocked. Just shocked.
(Sadly, not really.)

We must stop the likes of Mr.Bharara the Federal Investigator who is intent on cleaning up the corruption in New York Politics.It seems he is taking the fun & profits away from our elected representatives.Before you know it New York taxes will be reduced, as less money will be going into the pockets of our notable, beloved politicians.Oh, for the good old days, when all you needed to make a living in N.Y. was a few c-notes & a friend in the State House.

Once again corrupt behavior by state legislators offers yet another poor reflection of the Governor of NY. Two weeks ago Andrew Cuomo was again displaying his brazen political instincts, getting the state budget 'done' by the deadline(actually a few hours late but that is irrelavent) by playing on both the legislator's greed and their fears. He let one of his two big 'demands' for reform, the supposedly tight ethic reforms, be watered down to the point of being just window dressing(shocking I know). So the Senators, including Skelos, and the Assembly men and women, can continue stuffing their pockets. It's not what you know, it's who you know.
Meanwhile, Cuomo gets his draconian education reform package pretty well set, and then has the gall to pronounce that his leadership has once again triumphed and that these educational and ethical reforms have made New York state history.
I fervently hope Skelos and his son get nailed for corruptly using their power to get something for nothing, and I also hope that the people of New York state appreciate even more that NOTHING this governor says can be taken at face value.

So, two out of three guys in a room are under investigation and/or indictment for influence peddling. What about the third man?

I say it's time to for New York State to recall the Govenator.

After all, look at all the contributions Cuomo has taken from the private education services corporations. Their financial influence in the privatization movement is destroying public education in exchange for campaign cash.

Let's hope that Preet Bharara, will take three men in a room in Albany, and make it thee men in a jail cell in upstate NY. One down, a second one on the way, and a third one in the Governor's mansion to go.

Two down, at least another couple of dozen to go.

Nassau County has been in the grip of the republicans for decades, with a few but scattered Democrats thrown in. It seems the republicans do not seem to care what they do to remain firmly entrenched in power. The Nassau County comptroller states there is a surplus, yet documentation says otherwise. Electrical contractors who supervised the rebuilding of Hurricane Sandy damaged homes and businesses, with some committing fraud in documentation, had republican allegiance. Skelos and his son are only the latest republicans who tried to profit from the party's dominance. Nothing new folks in this corner of the state.

It is about time. The NYS legislature has been a cesspool of corruption for decades.

Federal indictments are the best thing to help cleanup government and unstack the deck. Thank-you Mr. Bharara and the office of the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York.

This is a ''mini-me'' version of the case against Speaker Silver. In both instances it involves the Federal Prosecutor 'criminalizing' referral activity without, at this point, having yet established a quid pro quo link regards outcome. The classic test has been, ''If I give you this, you will do that for X.'' That this classic test has a work-around that is the standard income driver for many of New York's major law firms goes back well over a century. This is called, ''the legal bribe'' or ''the grand understanding of inferred cost-benefit ratio,'' or, my personal favorite, ''the campaign contribution from my extended family.''

The case of Ed Koch was a classic case of a politician who in his own mind was completely honest, who was nonetheless addicted to power and office, and would go to incredible lengths to secure his hold on it that translated into 'loyalties' through political officers like John the Baptist LoCicero or arms-length ciphers like ''Joey Di'' - Joseph DiVincenzo, his City Hall gate keeper. Judgeships cost $50,000. See your borough district leader.

The cyclical appearance of Preet Bharara type prosecutors and indictments for otherwise 'business as usual' relationships is nothing new. What is a bit of a twist, and possibly a fatal stretch for Bharara is the attempt to criminalize 'making rain' - which is the LLP/LLC law partnership standard for defining a partner - one who generates volumes of referred business via the magic of 'connections.'

... and politicians ask why the common man does not trust them..

Like Sheldon Silver, we all know that Dean Skelos is as corrupt as the day is long. While Andrew Cuomo may not have done anything directly illegal (I'm holding my breath for now), there can be little doubt that he disbanded the Moreland Commission on Public Corruption in an effort to keep his buddies in the legislature safe. I'm beginning to think his strategy may have failed, however, now that state and federal prosecutors have picked up where the Moreland Commission left off.

How appalling for our sitting governor to claim that the Moreland Commission's work was done when, in fact, it's readily apparent it had only just begun. It's discouraging that we have Andrew Cuomo (a man of so little integrity and honor) as governor, when the woman he ran against, Zephyr Teachout, would have eagerly and honestly worked to clean up the mess in Albany.

We got what we deserved, and now we have to rely on prosecutors to do what our governor should be doing. When will we ever learn?

At least this shows that greed is an available equal opportunity. As soon as a candidate accepts a substantial contribution then he/she is beholden. Offering payments/nonexistent employment to relatives is so old hat. It all boils down to greed and power.

Here's hoping Preet takes down Cuomo too and hits the trifecta. Ever since Cuomo disbanded the ethics commission after it started looking into his administration, he's been unworthy of his office.

It sounds like the government doesn't have much of a case. Unless someone was stupid enough to write in an email that we'll hire your son, provided you help us sell our product, it is likely that the whole thing will fizzle.

These guys are not just thieves. They are dumb. They KNOW they are being watched, and yet they just can't stop themselves.

This article makes plain the need for a thorough rethinking--and banning--of money in political office-seeking, not to mention a reversal of Citizens United.
Politics has gone from the ideal of public service (remember the "dollar-a-year" men who were already comfortably well-off but served their country during the 1930s and 1940s?) to self-enrichment and becoming a form of being a rich rock star. We've gone from democracy to pornocracy (government of prostitutes), and will descend to kleptocracy (government of thieves) and coprocracy (government of crap--like Putin's Russia) if this is not stopped.

With hair like a renegade Pentecostal pastor, how could he not be guilty as sin?