Will Independence & Conservative Parties Feel Bharara’s Wrath?

Dr. Cavallo--feeling the heat?

There has been little discussion about whether US Attorney’s Preet Bharara’s Federal corruption probe will delve into the minor parties in Westchester County. For more than a decade, Dr. Guilio Cavallo has run the Westchester County Independence Party as his own piggy bank, exchanging endorsements for contributions to the party and to the Westchester Independence Club, his primary slush fund.

For many years, Cavallo did business with the Spano’s, with both Zehy Jereis and Anthony Mangone acting as middle man. Both Jereis and Mangone were indicted by the Feds, with Mangone agreeing to a deal. What did both Zehy and Anthony tell proseuctors about Dr. C?

A few years ago, Cavallo and the Spano’s had a falling out over the lack of jobs and respect given to Cavallo, who was angered that the Spano’s were ‘taking all the jobs for themselves.”  So any recent information about Cavallo would have to involve someone else, perhaps Cavallo’s closest confidant and a leader of antoher Westchester political party?

We certainly hope that the Feds are looking at Cavallo’s orchestration of the endorsement of Judge Joseph Allesandro several years ago. Cavallo is said to have received a bundle from Allesandro in exchange for getting a cross endorsement for his selection to the State Supreme Court.

The Westchester Conservative Party, and its former Chair Gail Burns, might also be on Bharara’s radar. Burns worked closely with Spano and company for decades. She recently lost her efforts to keep the Conservative Party, and some wondered why she ‘gave up so quietly’ after losing.

Journal News & News 12 Pick up on Nick Spano’s Large Legal Bill-But You Heard it Here First

Nick Spano

Once again, the Rising Times blog, beat the Journal News and News 12 to the punch, with both coming out with stories about former State Senator Nick Spano’s large legal bills, despite having never been charged with a crime.

On November 29 we wrote the following post —

Nick Spano recently disclosed on his campaign financial reports (although he is no longer an elected official, Spano maintains an active campaign account) expenditures totaling $22,815 to the law firm of Levitt & Kaizer.

While the Manhattan law firm would not comment on their representation of Spano, a visit to their website states that founding partner Richard Levitt’s experience includes “Mr. Levitt has been involved in numerous high-profile cases, defending clients against charges that include, among many others, RICO, securities fraud, tax evasion, official corruption, drug distribution, murder, arson, robbery and money laundering.”

With no charges filed against Spano, what was Levitt and co doing to earn their $22,815?

We want to thank our friends and sources who uncovered this information and gave it to us first. We also would ask LoHud and News 12–what took you so long to come forward with this story and who or where did you get it from?

And to my loyal friendly bloggers, who curse me out every time I post something about the Spano’s—what are your thoughts on this item now that it was on the front page last Sunday and on News 12 last night??

Follow the Money

 

My Good Friend Yonkers Confidential has returned with another great piece–DJM

 

Follow the Money

 

by Yonkers Confidential

 

Everyone is waiting for the next shoe to drop in the ongoing U.S. Attorney’s Public Integrity investigation into Yonkers and Westchester County. A few tidbits that might be interesting to those who follow Westchester politics.

 

THE RIDGE HILL CIRCLE

New York Times reporter Alison Leigh Cowan confirmed in a 2008 column, through an agent involced in the federal investigation, that Ridge Hill lobbyist Al Pirro had a conversation in February of 2005 with former Yonkers Councilman Dennis Robertson during which Pirro expressed confidence that he could win Sandy Annabi’s support for the Ridge Hill project as long as he made Yonkers Republican Chairman Zehy Jereis happy. Mr. Robertson was subsequently questioned in 2008 by federal prosecutors about this wiretapped conversation.

 

To get the Ridge Hill deal done, Pirro needed to engage Senator Nick Spano, Zehy Jereis’ ‘political handler.’ After a conversation, the deal was struck. Nick would have his brother, Assemblyman Mike, take a temporary leave from the NYS Assembly and join the Pat Lynch’s lobbying firm, guaranteeing that Nick got paid for his efforts – at an arm’s length, of course, because he was still a NYS Senator. Nick Spano was very close to Shelly Silver, Lynch’s former boss. And Silver still owed Spano for clearing the way to make Silver’s boyhood pal, Jonathan Lippman, the Chief Judge of the NYS Court of Appeals.

 

Mike Spano, now a Lynch lobbyist, introduced Zehy Jereis to Ratner’s Bruce Bender and continued to massage the relationship, knowing full well about the payment that would be made to Annabi to get her vote on the project. Bender made a deal with Jereis, contingent upon getting Annabi’s support for Ridge Hill, that would pay him a $60,000 consulting contract. When the vote was taken in July of 2006, everyone got paid, and Mike Spano returned to the NYS Assembly in 2008. This is the criminal conspiracy that is at the heart of the Ridge Hill investigation.

 

Although Al Pirro obviously believed that Jereis was the conduit to get Annabi’s vote, others apparently felt another middleman could be just as successful with Annabi. The question that remains is: Who was it that steered the Milio Brothers to Anthony Mangone to secure Sandy’s vote on Longfellow/School 6 project?

 

THE PAYMENTS

From the Criminal indictment, USA v. Sandy Annabi, Zehy Jereis and Anthony Mangone…

“Since at least 2004, ANNABI has received from JEREIS, MANGONE, and others more than $160,00 worth of secret payments designed to influence and reward her for favorable official action or inaction on matters pending before the City Council as specific opportunities arose. ANNABI, JERIES, and MANGONE also took various steps to conceal their scheme, by making false statements and/or omitting required information in various reporting documents.”

 

This best the question: Who were the others alluded to in the indictment who were making these ongoing bribe payments to Annabi? Between 2004 and 2008, Zehy Jereis either wrote personal checks or money orders, or made various cash payments for Sandy Annabi, totaling over $130,000. And this was in addition to the $30,000 payment from Milio Brothers Management, through Anthony Mangone, regarding the Longfellow development bribe.

 

It is obvious that Zehy Jereis was merely the conduit for these bribes. So who was it that was making these payments, and what other projects were on the table in addition to Ridge Hill and Longfellow?

 

This will be answered in the next round of federal indictments. Coming very soon.

 

 

Feds Eye Nick Spano Court Appointments

 

Nick Spano

As disgraced former State Senator Vincent Leibell pled guilty in Federal Court in White Plains today to obstruction of justice and tax evasion charges, his former senate colleague Nick Spano is now in the hot seat, with prosecutors taking a look at Spano’s court appointments he received several years ago.

The Home News & Times and the Village Voice reported on Spano receiving over $75,000 over a 4 year period from Judges in Westchester and beyond, to act as a Court Evaluator for estate cases with mentally incapacitated persons.

 As Spano was given these assignments, many wondered how Spano could obtain these appointments (he is not an attorney) and why he was being given such a large number of appointments.

Wayne Barrett of the Village Voice wrote last year, “Spano was reaping at least $79,739 in fees as a “court evaluator,” a person paid to measure the mental competency of someone named in a legal petition. Though Spano isn’t a lawyer, he has received 31 of these assignments and four other referee assignments

“Evaluators look into the eyes of the subjects of these court petitions, many of whom are elderly and in nursing homes, and decide whether they should retain control of property and other assets, the value of which they also consider. Spano sponsored the law that created this position, and he and other pols in Westchester, including then Senator Guy Velella, wasted no time collecting assignments.” Velella is another former State Senator convicted of corruption.

Other developments in U.S. vs Leibell and what is to come:

I-Leibell was caught on a wiretap telling ‘attorney #1’ not to discuss payments made to him, sealing Vinny’s fate as a now convicted felon. Attorney #1 is Michael Servino, a partner in the law firm of Santangelo, Servino and Mangone. Anthony Mangone pled guilty recently in federal court, and helped prosecutors with information regarding Leibell at Putnam County wheelings and dealings.

II- Friends of Leibell are blaming his fall from grace to “getting sucked in by the wrong people,” meaning Mangone and likely Senator Spano.

III- The Ridge Hill portion of the Feds case is still unknown, with the big question being, who put Zehy Jereis in touch with developers Forest City Ratner. Jereis ended up getting a $60,000 consulting contract from Ratner. The feds allege that Jereis got the contract in exchange for Councilwoman Sandy Annabi changing her vote.

IV-What did Leibell tell prosecutors as part of his plea agreement, which allows him to keep his State pension. Leibell is a ‘big fish’ who would have to hand over a ‘bigger fish’ to the feds.

Vinny Leibell-First Hit in Round 2 of Feds Corruption Probe

disgraced senator vincent leibell

 

The Federal probe into political corruption, not only here in Westchester, but up north in Putnam County, and down south in the Bronx,  has landed its first ‘Big Fish’ –State Senator Vincent Leibell. Leibell has been under investigation for months by Federal prosecutors, working on information from Anthony Mangone and Michael Santangelo, both attorneys whose law firm received legal contracts in Putnam County totalling $1.6 Million.

How Mangone and Santangelo got these contracts brings the probe to Leibell, the acting political godfather of Putnam County for over 25 years. And who might it be that put Leibell together with Mangone?  One logical guess is former

State Senator Nick Spano, who was a colleague and friend of Leibell’s for years, and was Mangone’s Westchester political mentor.  Spano recently paid over $22,000 in legal bills to a manhattan defense firm, for an unidentified reason.

Leibell resigned from his senate seat at midnight tonight and also announced that he will not serve as Putnam County Executive, a post he was elected to last November.  The Daily News reports that Leibell has agreed to serve just less than 2 years in prison in exchange for his guilty plea—to bribery and corruption charges.

Leibell’s announcement comes two days after Mangone copped his plea in Federal court to extortion and bribery charges.  Who will be next to fall?

Insider Trading Scandal to Land in Yonkers Soon

Sources tell Rising Times that a long-time, high profile Yonkers Republican is under investigation for leaking details to hedge fund managers associated with SAC Capital, which is part of an ongoing massive insider trading investigation by the US Attorney’s office.

In recent days the FBI has raided several hedge funds in Connecticut and Massachusetts.  SAC Capital, under the leadership of its legendary manager Steve Cohen, received a government subpoena earlier this week. The raids followed a Wall Street Journal report that federal authorities were preparing a slew of insider trading charges against the $1.7 Trillion hedge fund industry. According to the WSJ, the probe into allegations of widespread misconduct will likely involve consultancies, investment banks and trading firms. Indictments could come by the end of the year.

Bloggers Split on Annabi’s Fate at Trial With Jereis Deal Done

Zehy Jereis-was deal with Feds done months ago? Sandy Annabi-will she go to trial?

While some bloggers expect a difficult chance of success for federal prosecutors of Sandy Annabi, if she decides to go to trial on Federal bribery, corruption and tax fraud charges against her, our law enforcement sources tell us that the U.S. government is ready to go to trial, confident in their evidence to convict, and ready to push for a long sentence of up to 15 years if Annabi, who continues to proclaim her innocence,  demands a trial by her peers. An offer made to Annabi has recently been withdrawn by prosecutors.

We have also been told that Zehy Jereis has already cooperated with the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s office, and has had a deal in place for several months.  Why this deal has not been announced, or why Jereis has not been forced to allocute his crimes to the court, we do not know.

But Jereis’s information, combined with Anthony Mangone’s information, gives the Feds both sides of the financial payments to Annabi.  Among the prosecutions 10,000 pages of evidence, transcripts of phone conservations between Annabi-Mangone and Jereis are said to clearly explain what Annabi was involved in.

We also keep hearing that Mangone’s information will take the U.S. Attorney’s case down to the Bronx, where a scandal will break involving the award of the Voting Machines in New York State to ES&S.