Espada to Cuomo: Don’t hassle me, bro
Pedro Espada, the downstate N.Y. Senator and last man standing
in the Gang of FOne stand-off last year, says that Attorney General Cuomo is picking on him for political reasons and and engaging in prosecutorial misconduct.our Three Two
What’s the problem? Espada is CEO of a non-profit chain of health clinics, and contracted its cleaning services to a for-profit company he owns. There is also a question about whether the entities secretly covered some of his campaign expenses, a violation of NY campaign law. A hearing is scheduled next week.
The office says in court papers that it has found evidence of potential fraud, violations of state election law, state law regarding nonprofit groups and state labor law, as well as potential tax liabilities. The investigation by Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo is focused on Mr. Espada’s role as chief executive of the Soundview HealthCare Network, a Bronx-based group of tax-exempt health clinics.
The court filing says that Soundview has a contract with a for-profit management company, Soundview Management Enterprises L.L.C., that is controlled by Mr. Espada, allowing him “effectively to siphon off and otherwise divert money from Soundview for Mr. Espada’s own personal and political benefit.”
Evidence collected by Mr. Cuomo’s office, the filing says, suggests that money paid by Soundview to the management company was also used to “pay Mr. Espada’s campaign expenses, including printing, campaign office rent and personnel costs.”
Espada has a long track record as a self-serving opportunist. His campaign committee has been cited numerous times for violations and failure to file reports. Last year he was the pivotal player who held up the state’s businesses for weeks in the attempt to bring Republicans to back to power in the NY Senate. Espada switched from Democrat to Republican and back again.
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