Over the weekend de Blasio fired back at Rechnitz, who is testifying
as a cooperating witness in Manhattan U.S. Attorney Joon Kim's bribery case against former jails union boss Norman Seabrook.
Rockland County, NY - A chasidic Jew from Rockland County has been identified
as the cooperating witness who helped the FBI uncover a massive plot to rig the 2013 New York City mayoral race and led to the arrest of six politicians who allegedly accepted bribes.
In her jury instructions, the judge noted Howe's participation in the case
as a cooperating witness, noting that convictions in this case can be made «on the basis of such a witness's testimony.»
A news publication, Voize Iz Neias, also known as The Voice of the Orthodox Jewish Community named Monsey Chosid
as the cooperating witness in the statewide political scandal.
A former LPCiminelli executive has accepted a plea deal with the United States Attorney Southern District of New York and will serve
as a cooperating witness in a trial this June connected to alleged bid - rigging for state - led development projects.
Sources said that the investigation stemmed from information provided by other state legislators who were under investigation as well
as cooperating witnesses.
Not exact matches
Matanov told an unidentified
witness cooperating with the government that «the bombings could have had a just reason, such
as being done in the name of Islam, that he would support the bombings if the reason were just or the attack had been done by the Taliban,» according to the papers.
However, Mariotti added, prosecutors sometimes bring charges earlier if it's part of an effort to coerce a defendant into «flipping»
as a
witness and
cooperating with the investigation.
Ex-lobbyist Todd Howe, likely to serve
as the federal government's key
cooperating witness in a wide - ranging corruption trial this fall involving past associates of Cuomo, «has obtained employment and a residence in the District of Idaho,» his attorneys told a judge.
Key testimony is expected to come from former lobbyist - turned -
cooperating witness Todd Howe, who allegedly exchanged emails with Percoco in which they referred to cash
as «ziti» — a move prosecutors say they lifted from HBO's mobster series «The Sopranos.»
Reichberg and associate Jona Rechnitz, who has been identified
as a
cooperating government
witness in both cases, have also been linked to federal probes of Mayor Bill de Blasio's fundraising.
Bonomo, a major political player in the state, earned fame
as the main
witness who
cooperated with prosecutors to convict former Senate Republican Leader Dean Skelos (Nassau County) for accepting bribes.
Earlier Wednesday, Adam Skelos» former AbTech supervisor, Bjornulf White, finished more than two full days of testimony that included introduction of more than two dozen potentially incriminating recorded conversations he made
as a
cooperating government
witness.
In addition to more than 11 million pages of records, the feds» arsenal includes former lobbyist - turned -
cooperating witness Todd Howe and emails in which he and Percoco allegedly referred to payoffs
as «ziti» — a code word for cash that prosecutors say they lifted from an episode of HBO's mob drama «The Sopranos.»
The complaint indicates a senior executive at the real estate developer is
cooperating with the government, naming him
as «
cooperating witness 1.»
The senator, who represents Queens Village, St. Albans and Jamaica, is accused of conspiring in November 2012 with a
cooperating witness and an undercover FBI agent posing
as a wealthy real estate developer to bribe city Republican leaders in order to win Wilson - Pakula certificates.
Ex-lobbyist Todd Howe, likely to serve
as the federal government's key
cooperating witness in a wide - ranging corruption trial this fall involving past associates of Governor Andrew Cuomo, «has obtained employment and a residence in the District of Idaho,» his attorneys told a judge on June 15.
Smith, the feds say, turned to Moses Stern — a crooked Rockland County developer who was, in fact, a
cooperating federal
witness —
as well
as another man he thought was a developer but who was actually an undercover federal agent.
After the November meeting with Smith, the
cooperating witness and the undercover agent enlisted Halloran to act
as a middleman to persuade the Bronx and Queens party bosses to sign off on the certificates, according to a criminal complaint.
The charges state that,
as early
as 2010, an unnamed real estate developer, who is also a
cooperating witness in the case, made a one - time, $ 20,000 payment to Adam Skelos for work that federal investigators say he did not do.
Rechnitz pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit honest services fraud in connection with the wire fraud scheme but is
cooperating as a
witness for a lesser sentence, the complaint states.
The report was never released and Cuomo's office has insisted the story — third hand
as told by
cooperating witness David Wildstein who was convicted in the scandal — is false.
The criminal complaint charging Seabrook and his fellow defendant, hedge - fund manager Murray Huberfeld, strongly suggests that a
witness who is
cooperating with the government in the case, Jona S. Rechnitz, could also serve
as an important
witness in at least one of the fund - raising inquiries centered on NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio.
The ex-lobbyist will likely serve
as a key
cooperating witness in a major federal corruption this fall.
Smith, who represented southeast Queens in the state Senate, was done in when he unknowingly turned to Moses Stern — a crooked Rockland County developer who was, in fact, a
cooperating federal
witness —
as well
as ano ther man Smith thought was a developer but who was actually an undercover federal agent.
The feds say the scam was cooked up in late 2013 during a trip to the Dominican Republic paid for by a
cooperating witness — identified by sources
as real estate investor and Mayor Bill de Blasio donor Jona Rechnitz.
The charges state that,
as early
as 2010, an unnamed real estate developer, who is also a
cooperating witness in the case, made a one time $ 20,000 payment to Adam Skelos for work that federal investigators say he did not do.
Reichberg and the
cooperating witness spent «well over $ 100,000» in gifts that served
as bribes, Bharara said, so that they could hold sway with police — which they used to get friends and themselves out of traffic tickets, to arrange for police presence at religious sites and events, to get good seats at parades and other events, to get lights - and - sirens escorts to the airport, and even to close down a lane of the Lincoln Tunnel so a visiting businessman could breeze through without traffic.
Mr. Howe, who has pleaded guilty to eight felonies and is
cooperating with prosecutors in the case against Joseph Percoco, who served
as Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's executive deputy secretary, was taken into custody on Thursday after admitting on the
witness stand that he violated the terms of his cooperation agreement.
Howe, 57, a
cooperating witness on his first day on the stand in Manhattan federal court, laid out how he came to be the linchpin of an alleged scheme by two clients to pay more than $ 300,000 in bribes to Percoco — referred to by them in code
as «zitti» — to buy influence for an energy company and a Syracuse developer.
He described Mr. Smith
as the victim of a government sting operation by a «
cooperating witness,» Moses Stern, a Rockland County businessman who has boasted of sway in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community and who was seeking leniency for federal charges he was facing for allegedly defrauding Citigroup of $ 126 million.
(Mr. Dorego is not identified by name in the complaint, but referred to only
as CW - 1, for
Cooperating Witness 1.)
He remains a
cooperating witness in ongoing US criminal and civil proceedings and will make no further comment at this time so
as not to prejudice those proceedings.