Racino probe targets Dems’ high rollers
- Last Updated: 6:37 AM, January 8, 2013
- Posted: 12:37 AM, January 8, 2013
EXCLUSIVE
Investigators are asking questions about the roles of then-Senate Democratic leaders John Sampson and Malcolm Smith and others who were accused of helping the Aqueduct Entertainment Group (AEG) land a multibillion-dollar casino contract three years ago, sources said.
The state ultimately rescinded the contract in 2010 amid a state inspector general’s probe into claims of favoritism. The IG’s office referred its scathing findings to federal authorities for potential prosecution.
Robert Miller
John Sampson and other Senate Dems are being eyed in Aqueduct probe.
It’s the second federal probe targeting Sampson. The Post last week reported that the former Senate minority leader is linked to a broader federal investigation into Queens Rep. Gregory Meeks and a convicted real estate developer, Edul Ahmad.
Smith, who has talked about running for mayor on the Republican line, also is being targeted as part of the Meeks inquiry, a law-enforcement official said.
FBI agents recently interviewed witnesses about the Aqueduct case who were captured on wiretaps talking to other subjects convicted on corruption charges — including ex-state Sens. Carl Kruger and Hiram Monserrate and lobbyist Richard Lipsky.
“The line of questioning was about the Aqueduct deal,” said one Senate Democratic source familiar with the case.
“They asked about John Sampson, Malcolm Smith, Eric Adams and Carl Andrews,” the source said of FBI agents. “They said, ‘What do you know about these people and their role in the Aqueduct deal?’ ”
Adams was chairman of the Senate Racing and Wagering Committee when AEG was awarded the bid. Andrews, a former Brooklyn state senator, was AEG’s lobbyist.
The Senate Democratic insider said the feds appeared to be looking at developing potential conspiracy charges for setting up the contract for AEG.
In the IG report, Sampson was slammed for tainting the process by leaking a confidential bidding document to AEG’s lobbyist, Andrews, that included the detailed plans of rival bidders.
At the time, Sampson insisted he did not leak privileged information. But the IG report dismissed his claim as “fallacious.”
Sampson declined to comment yesterday.
Meanwhile, a source told the feds that Smith boasted that the AEG casino would be his “golden parachute” when he left the Senate.
During his testimony, Smith insisted he did not play an active role in the Aqueduct selection process. But the IG report concluded that he was an AEG advocate who served as “AEG’s eyes and ears in the Senate.”
Smith, asked about the federal probe yesterday, denied any wrongdoing.
“Malcolm has committed no illegal activity whatsoever, nor has he been contacted by any law-enforcement agency in this matter,” said Smith spokesman Todd Shapiro.
ccampanile@nypost.com
S02723 Summary:
BILL NO S02723 SAME AS No same as SPONSOR ADAMS COSPNSR MLTSPNSR Amd S502, RWB L Replaces the New York city and Nassau county regional off track betting corporations with the establishment of a reconstituted Metropolitan OTB.Go to top
S02723 Actions:
BILL NO S02723 01/23/2013 REFERRED TO RACING, GAMING AND WAGERINGGo to top
S02723 Votes:
There are no votes for this bill in this legislative session.Go to top
S02723 Memo:
Memo not availableGo to top
S02723 Text:
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
2723
2013-2014 Regular Sessions
I N S E N A T E
January 23, 2013
___________
Introduced by Sen. ADAMS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Racing, Gaming and Wager-
ing
AN ACT to amend the racing, pari-mutuel wagering and breeding law, in
relation to abolishing the New York city and Nassau county regional
off-track betting corporations and establishing a reconstituted Metro-
politan OTB
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
1 Section 1. Subdivisions 1 and 3 of section 502 of the racing, pari-mu-
2 tuel wagering and breeding law, subdivision 1 as amended by chapter 710
3 of the laws of 1990, are amended to read as follows:
4 1. A regional off-track betting corporation is hereby established for
5 each region, except the New York city [region] AND NASSAU COUNTY REGIONS
6 for which [the New York city] A RECONSTITUTED NEW YORK CITY-NASSAU COUN-
7 TY off-track betting corporation (HEREINAFTER, THE METROPOLITAN OTB), IS
8 HEREBY established pursuant to and subject to article six of this chap-
9 ter AND shall constitute the regional corporation and such article six
10 shall govern such [New York city] RECONSTITUTED NEW YORK CITY-NASSAU
11 COUNTY off-track betting corporation. Each regional corporation shall be
12 a body corporate and politic constituting a public benefit corporation.
13 Each corporation shall be administered by a board of directors consist-
14 ing of two members from each participating county containing a city of
15 over one hundred fifty thousand in population, according to the last
16 federal census, and one member from each other participating county.
17 Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the members
18 shall be appointed by the county governing body, and may, at the
19 discretion of such governing body of counties which have a population of
20 less than two hundred thousand, include sitting members of such govern-
21 ing body. A member of a governing body who is appointed a director after
22 July first, nineteen hundred ninety shall not be compensated by the
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05589-01-3
S. 2723 2
1 regional corporation; provided, however, that the mayor of a city of
2 over one hundred fifty thousand that has elected to participate in the
3 management of a corporation pursuant to subdivision two of this section
4 shall, with the approval of the city's legislative body, appoint one of
5 the members to which the county containing such city is entitled. In the
6 case of the corporation established for the Suffolk region [and Nassau
7 region], the board of directors of each corporation shall consist of
8 three members appointed by the governing body of [each] SUCH county, not
9 more than two of whom shall be members of the same political party. IN
10 THE CASE OF THE METROPOLITAN OTB, THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS SHALL CONSIST
11 OF FIVE MEMBERS, TWO APPOINTED BY THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE,
12 TWO APPOINTED BY THE SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY, AND ONE APPOINTED BY THE
13 GOVERNOR, NOT MORE THAN THREE OF WHOM SHALL BE MEMBERS OF THE SAME POLI-
14 TICAL PARTY. Each director shall serve at the pleasure of the governing
15 body or mayor appointing him, as the case may be. A chairman shall be
16 elected by the members to serve a term of one year.
17 3. Upon the passage of enabling legislation by the governing body of
18 not less than three counties within a region representing not less than
19 thirty percent of the population of such region, as determined by the
20 last federal census, or in the case of the Suffolk region, upon the
21 passage of enabling legislation by the governing body of Suffolk county,
22 or in the case of the [Nassau region] METROPOLITAN OTB, upon the
23 [passage of enabling legislation by the governing body of Nassau county]
24 ENACTMENT INTO STATE LAW OF ENABLING LEGISLATION, or in the case of the
25 Mid-Hudson region upon the passage of enabling legislation by the
26 governing body of the county of Westchester and of the governing body of
27 one other county in such region, and following the appointment of
28 members of the board of directors, such corporation shall file with the
29 secretary of state and with the state racing and wagering board a
30 certificate setting forth:
31 a. The date of passage of the enabling legislation;
32 b. The name of the agency, which shall be the name of the region
33 followed by the words "regional off-track betting corporation"; and
34 c. The names of the members of the board of directors and the chair-
35 man.
36 S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
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