« "Hey, you! Out there! I've got kids trying to sleep!" | Main | On StubHub, some of the last Nets home games in New Jersey are on sale for less than $1 »
April 1, 2012
Leading New York Developer Arrested in FBI Raid
The New York Times
by Avril Fous
Wow. Wow. Wow.
In a pre-dawn raid today, agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation swept into the Upper East Side home of New York real estate developer Bruce C. Ratner, taking him into custody and seizing computers and documents in what Dia de los Inocentes, an Assistant U.S. Attorney for New York's Southern District, called a major escalation in an on-going investigation into corruption in several real estate projects in the metropolitan area.
Ms. de los Inocentes, speaking shortly after the raid was executed, said that she expected to charge Mr. Ratner under the Racketeer-Influenced and Corrupt Organizations statute, or RICO, a prosecutorial tool more commonly used in pursuing organized-crime figures. In addition to Mr. Ratner, who is the Chief Executive Officer of leading New York real estate development firm Forest City Ratner (the development partner of The New York Times headquarters building on 8th Avenue — this newspaper is not a target of the investigation), FBI agents also arrested several other executives of Forest City in similarly executed raids.
"Following their convictions in Federal Court last week, [former Yonkers City Councilwoman] Sandy Annabi and [former Yonkers Republican Party head] Zehy Jereis suddenly became much more forthcoming with details about what really happened with the reversal of Ms. Annabi's vote," said Ms. de los Inocentes, referring to the Councilwoman's sudden about face in dropping her opposition to Mr. Ratner's Ridge Hill project in 2006. Ms. Annabi was convicted on several counts last week, including the acceptance of "corrupt payments" in return for switching her vote. "Someone was the ultimate beneficiary of that vote, obviously, and it was a much bigger fish than Mr. Jereis."
Click through for the rest of this stunning, must-read news.
Photo: The New York Times
Posted by eric at April 1, 2012 11:22 AM