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发帖数: 29846 | 1 Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara has expanded his anti-corruption crusade
to the far western edge of the state — investigating Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s
controversial Buffalo Billion revitalization project, The Post has learned.
The probe of Cuomo’s pet project is the first to touch his office beyond
Bharara’s investigation of the governor’s shutdown of the Moreland
Commission to Investigate Public Corruption last year.
The new investigation is focused on the multimillion-dollar contracts
awarded to build facilities for high-tech, drug-development and clean-energy
businesses, a source familiar with the probe told The Post.
Bharara’s office has slapped several firms with subpoenas in recent months,
the source said.
“It’s a comprehensive look at the bidding process,” the source said.
“They’re looking at communications between contractors and state officials
.”
Bharara’s probe extends some 250 miles beyond the boundaries of his
district, the Southern District of New York, which is headquartered in
Manhattan and includes The Bronx and six suburbs north of the city.
It also infringes on the jurisdiction of Buffalo US Attorney Bill Hochul,
whose wife, Kathy, is Cuomo’s lieutenant governor.
Last month, Kathy Hochul touted Cuomo’s pricey plan during an Upstate
Revitalization Conference at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center.
Kathy HochulPhoto: David McGlynn
Before Buffalo Billion, “people had given up hope,” she said “That’s a
statement of fact.”
But since the taxpayer cash began flowing, millennials have begun moving to
the Buffalo area, reversing decades of declining population, Hochul said.
“This is the most positive indicator I have seen,” she said. “It happened
because the governor believed in us.”
A spokeswoman for Bill Hochul declined to comment. It was unclear whether he
recused himself from the Buffalo Billion probe over the potential conflict
of interest — or if he was even aware of Bharara’s investigation.
In May, the Buffalo News revealed Hochul recused himself from an
investigation of former Erie County Democratic Chair Steve Pigeon, a Cuomo
political adviser, but said his top assistant was overseeing it and
coordinating with state prosecutors.
Legal experts said the US Attorneys’ Manual does not cover a scenario in
which a prosecutor keeps a probe secret from another who could lay claim to
the case.
“That’s a sensitive issue . . . I would want to advise DOJ,”
a former prosecutor said, referring to the US Department of Justice. “Under
those circumstances, the likelihood is DOJ would approve it and deal with
the fallout later.”
Cuomo announced the 10-year Buffalo Billion program in his 2012 State of the
State speech, saying it would be modeled on the $1 billion-plus program to
spur nanotech research and draw semiconductor manufacturers to the Albany
region.
One of the plan’s key projects is construction of a $750 million solar
panel factory along the Buffalo River. It will be run by SolarCity, a power
provider chaired by Elon Musk, a co-founder of PayPal and CEO of the Tesla
Motors electric car company.
Other elements of Cuomo’s plan include construction of the Buffalo Medical
Innovation and Commercialization Hub facility at the Buffalo Niagara Medical
Campus, and redevelopment of a downtown Buffalo office tower into a
headquarters for IBM and other high-tech firms.
Sheldon SilverPhoto: WireImage
A report this year by the nonprofit Investigative Post blasted Buffalo
Billion as a “costly experiment in economic development that is beset by
secrecy and politics.” The report said that requests for records under the
state Freedom of Information Law were ignored until a lawsuit was filed and
that the documents released were stripped of “key information,” including
payments to developers.
The report also revealed the developer of two Buffalo Billion buildings is
Louis Ciminelli, who contributed $96,500 to Cuomo’s two campaigns for
governor.
At one point, the request for proposals to build SolarCity required
applicants to have “over 50 years of proven experience” in construction in
or around Buffalo, which, the report said, excluded any company except
Ciminelli’s.
The requirement was changed to 15 years, but his company, LPCiminelli, got
the job anyway.
The report also said McGuire Development donated $25,000 to Cuomo’s
campaign three months after scoring the technology-hub construction job.
Bharara has already secured the indictments or convictions of 17 New York
politicians.
This year, he brought charges against Assemblyman Sheldon Silver (D-
Manhattan) and state Sen. Dean Skelos (R-LI) that forced them to resign
leadership positions. He won convictions of state Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-
Queens) and former Deputy Senate Majority Leader Tom Libous (R-Binghamton).
LPCiminelli and McGuire did not respond to requests for comment. A Bharara
spokesman declined to comment.
A Cuomo official said that the awarding of the Buffalo Billion contracts was
done by SUNY and its nonprofit arm and that the governor had no role in the
selection process.
A spokeswoman for the Empire State Development Corp., which helps run
Buffalo Billion, said, “We administer a wide range of grant programs, and
we have policies and procedures in place to ensure accountability in
connection with these programs.”
Additional reporting by Josh Saul | x****k
发帖数: 2932 | 2 这还只是针对项目，不是针对个人，顶多最后抛几个替罪羊出来。 |
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