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March 24, 2011
INDICTMENTS REVEAL LEGISLATIVE BRIBERY RING-- AND SYSTEM
Ground Report
by Richard Cooper
The US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Preet Bharara, announced indictments on March 11th of two New York state legislators and six others.
...The legislators were selling votes, according to the indictment. Lobbyist Richard Lipsky sought and obtained Senator Kruger's support for New York state government funds for three projects of his client Forest City Ratner, owned by developer Bruce Ratner.
...Lipsky was a supporter of the Brooklyn eminent domain and corporate welfare scheme known as Atlantic Yards. (Full disclosure: I have been an opponent of this project, contributing financially to Develop, Don't Destroy Brooklyn. For details, search groundreport.com for my other Atlantic Yards and eminent domain articles). However, he was an opponent of the Queens eminent domain and corporate welfare scheme known as Willets Point. He is on Ratner's payroll. Purely, a coincidence, I'm sure.
Senator Kruger has been indicted for illegally being induced by lobbyist Lipsky to seek the New York state taxpayer funds on behalf of Lipsky's client Ratner. This is as it should be. But large sums of money are appropriated going to the benefit of corporations in violation of the state constitution without bribery or extortion.
Fortunately, Buffalo attorney James Ostrowski and a squad of plaintiffs around the state have filed suit against the governor, the legislative leaders, and some major firms such as IBM who have received these unconstitutional grants or loans. I am pleased to be one of the plaintiffs. Known to its supporters as the Stop The Pork Lawsuit, the appeal is going to be heard by the state's highest court, the Court of Appeals, most likely in April.
Posted by eric at March 24, 2011 11:01 AM