April 10, 2016
NYPD corruption investigation ensnares Mayor de Blasio
By Rick Moran
An investigation into corruption in the New York city police department has shifted to focus on campaign fundraising by Mayor Bill de Blasio.
The FBI is looking into how de Blasio raised money from the real estate industry and whether cronies of the mayor were involved in illegal pay for play schemes.
CBS New York:
The corruption probe by the FBI and U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara is looking into whether polices officers accepted lavish gifts and vacations in exchange for police escorts and security.
But the investigation also involves businessmen Jeremy Reichberg and Jona Rechnitz, who both served on de Blasio’s inaugural committee in 2013 and contributed to his campaign.
Now, sources told Kramer the feds are questioning people in the real estate industry about how the mayor raises money.
Sources said the questions from the U.S. Attorney’s office have focused on how donations are solicited by team de Blasio – including former campaign treasurer Ross Offinger.
Reichberg and Rechnitz’s phones were tapped as investigators looked at their ties to former NYPD Chief of Department Philip Banks.
Rechnitz and his wife gave $9,000 to de Blasio’s 2013 campaign. He also gave $50,000 to de Blasio’s controversial nonprofit Campaign for One New York, which was used to raise money for his initiatives, Kramer reported.
Rechnitz further ponied up $102,000 when de Blasio asked for help to get Democrats to take control of the New York State Senate, Kramer reported.
Reichberg hosted a Campaign for one New York fundraiser that netted $35,000, Kramer reported.
A de Blasio spokesman, Dan Levian, responded to the probe.
“We are fully confident that the campaign has conducted itself legally and appropriately at all times,” Levian said in a statement.
De Blasio ran as a good government liberal so the existence of his "One New York" slush fund should have raised eyebrows from the start. But besides Common Cause and a few other watchdog groups, the New York press was too busy trying to elect de Blasio to care much where his money was coming from.
Now, the mayor's cronies are apparently on the hot seat. All successful politicians have "fixers" like Rechnitz who can shake the money tree for any purpose and grease the skids with unions and others with their hands out. Obama had Tony Rezko to do this kind of dirty work, so the existence of someone like Rechnitz in New York is hardly a surprise.
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