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February 9, 2012
Reisman: Forest City Ratner exec's resignation conjures up Sandy Annabi case
The Journal News
by Phil Reisman
You can make something out of this ... or not.
But the timing is interesting, to say the least.
Bruce Bender, a key executive vice president for Forest City Ratner — the developer that created the $630 million Ridge Hill retail colossus in Yonkers — has resigned from the firm. Along with a partner, Bender is starting a political consulting firm.
News of his departure was first reported on Liz Benjamin’s Capital Tonight blog.
Curiously, it comes a week before the commencement of a federal corruption trial starring former City Councilwoman Sandy Annabi, who was charged in 2010 with selling her vote for the Ridge Hill project, as well as for another lower-profile project in Yonkers, in exchange for cash bribes.
Bender played a major role in squiring the controversial Ridge Hill deal through the bureaucratic maze of permits and approvals.
Related coverage...
Like me, Reisman thought that it was curious for Forest City executive Bruce Bender to leave his job just before the federal corruption trial involving the firm's Ridge Hill project, since Bender played a key role in getting the project going.
Unsatisfying answers
Reisman writes:
Even though no one at Forest City has ever been implicated in the bribery scandal, questions about what Bender (and possibly others) knew about the scheme have lingered ever since U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara announced the indictments two years ago.
Will Bender be called to testify?
I put the question to Bender through a spokesman, George Artz, but did not receive a response Wednesday.
...Asked if the upcoming Ridge Hill trial had anything to do with his exit, Artz said it did not.
“He’s long wanted to do it,” Artz said. “There is always something happening every moment of time — and 12 years is a long time for anyone to be in one place.”
Forest City issued a terse kiss-off Wednesday: “Bruce Bender has decided to leave Forest City Ratner Companies to pursue other opportunities. Everyone at FCRC wishes him the best.”
Reasons for doubt
OK, we have:
- no answer regarding whether he'll testify
- neither Forest City nor Bender's new firm coordinating the news (I contacted Forest City two nights ago but never heard back)
Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn, Forest City Ratner's Lobbyist Bruce Bender Is Leaving. Why? "Simply Time to Go"
We admit we don't know the reason for Bender's departure. All we do know is that February 14th begins a federal corruption trial involving Ratner's Ridge Hill project in Yonkers in which Bruce Bender is the unnamed and unindicted co-conspirator in a case where the briber and the bribee were indicted while the beneficiary of the bribe, Bruce Bender's firm, wasn't.
Posted by eric at February 9, 2012 11:00 AM