D’Amato’s soon-to-be ex ‘banned’ from entering court
The soon-to-be ex-wife of Al D’Amato says she was barred from attending a Manhattan federal trial on Tuesday where the former US senator was scheduled to testify — in violation of her constitutional rights.
Katuria D’Amato said she was met by court officers as soon as she entered the downtown Manhattan courthouse Tuesday after being featured in The Post on Mondaysaying her hubby would “flip out” as soon as he saw her.
“They banned me,” she told The Post. “I didn’t disrupt the courtroom,” she said of her attendance at the trial Monday, when she thought D’Amato was going to testify.
“Why? I’ll tell you why. My husband is going to flip out and they don’t want him to look bad in front of the jury,” she said.
“This obviously affects my constitutional rights,” Katuria D’Amato said Tuesday in an emailed statement that also falsely accused her husband of being a government cooperator.
The court’s district executive has not yet returned a request for comment about why Katuria was barred from the courtroom.
Katuria, who is in the midst of a bitter custody battle with the once-powerful lawmaker from Long Island, sat in the gallery Monday waiting for her husband to take the stand. She sat quietly and took notes as Anthony Bonomo, the ex-head of Physicians’ Reciprocal Insurers, testified to giving former state Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos’ son, Adam, a do-nothing job.
D’Amato is expected to take the stand Tuesday to testify that he also spoke to Dean about Adam’s problematic performance at PRI — to no avail.
At the time, D’Amato’s lobbying firm, Park Strategies, was working with Bonomo on pushing for legislation that would help PRI.
The Skeloses stand accused of using Dean’s powerful position to pressure companies doing business with the state into giving Adam do-nothing jobs and consulting gigs.
Al D’Amato shows the riches in New York politics
Post gossip king Richard Johnson noted this week that ex-Sen. Al D’Amato has ties to at least three candidates in this year’s governor’s race — which is pretty much what New York should expect of a man who’s become a super-lobbyist, with fingers in pretty much every pot.
And then some: While D’Amato has long been a firm supporter of Gov. Cuomo, Park is doing campaign work for Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, who for now looks like the likely GOP nominee against Cuomo.
Meanwhile, Joel Giambra, a possible Reform Party nominee, worked as a lobbyist at Park Strategies.
We have no word yet of D’Amato ties to Cynthia Nixon, but expect him to develop something if she turns into a real threat to take Cuomo’s job.
A piece of every pie: That’s the road to riches in New York politics.
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