Joseph MondelloJoseph Mondello. (Photo: Rick Kopstein/NYLJ)
Joseph Mondello, a longtime leader of the Republican Party in New York’s Nassau County and President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as U.S. ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago, has disclosed more than $1 million in real estate earnings and more than $775,000 in income from a Garden City law firm and his work for the party.
The financial and ethical disclosures cover a period just shy of two years. They are mandatory for many nominees for high-ranking administration positions.
Mondello’s nomination to the Caribbean envoy post, which the White House announced on March 19, remains subject to confirmation by the U.S. Senate.
An early supporter of Trump’s 2016 campaign and a member of the president-elect’s transition team, Mondello reported $519,332 in income from the 36-lawyer, Garden City-based Berkman, Henoch, Peterson, Peddy & Fenchel, where he holds an of counsel position in the municipal and government affairs practice.
Mondello’s financial disclosure reported additional income of $259,315 for his role as Nassau County Republican Committee chairmain—a position he’s held since 1983—as well as a slew of stock holdings through an individual retirement account.
Mondello also reported well over $1 million in rental income from positions as managing member at a handful of businesses that own and manage commercial real estate in New York. Those positions are with JLEM Associates, for which Mondello reported between $1 million and $5 million in rent or royalty income; Nestor Realty and Nestor Properties, which generated rent between $100,000 and $1 million for Mondello; and Laurel Cove Associates, which generated rent between $15,000 and $50,000, according to the financial disclosure.
Alongside his financial disclosures, Mondello submitted an ethics agreement dated Feb. 15 in which he pledged to resign his positions—though not his financial interests—with the real estate companies. He also pledged to resign from the Berkman Henoch firm and from his position as chairman of the Nassau County GOP. But Mondello said he and his spouse are entitled to and will continue to receive health coverage from the Nassau Republican Party “for the rest of our lives” under a plan that the party approved in 2012.
Mondello also said if he’s confirmed to the ambassadorship, he plans to divest within 90 days his stock holdings in several large companies, including Amazon.com Inc., Chevron Corp., Lockheed Martin Corp. Honeywell International Inc. and PepsiCo Inc.
Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the time period covered by Mondello’s financial disclosure. It was nearly two years, not approximately one year. We regret the error, which has been corrected.
Mondello’s financial disclosure is posted below: