Court May Compell Independence Party of New York Leadership To Testify

Richard Winger at Ballot Access News reports that the Independence Party of New York’s leadership may be compelled to testify about a $1,000,000 donation given to the party in 2009. The Independence Party is involved in a criminal probe of New York City Mayor Bloomberg’s political contributions.

Democratic Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, the state’s top prosecutor, is running for governor on the Independence Party line.
A Cuomo spokesman could not immediately say how the new revelations will affect that relationship.

Cuomo previously rejected the Working Families Party’s line because that party is being probed by federal prosecutors.
Bloomberg pumped $1.2 million into the Independence Party in the final days of his re-election campaign last fall, and the party hired Haggerty’s company Special Election Operations for poll-watching.
Haggerty worked in Bloomberg’s Sixth Ave. campaign office but was not on the payroll, and told staffers there he was a volunteer.
He has never explained how he spent the bulk of the $750,000, but the Daily News reported in February that he bought out his brother’s share of their $1.6 million family home six days later.
“We continue to be assured that we are not the subject of the investigation,” Bloomberg spokesman Howard Wolfson said Friday.
Prosecutors have issued four subpoenas since February 4 for a wide range of Independence Party paperwork, Seidel wrote, and put three party officials in front of the grand jury.
Party lawyer Vincent Messina, who was in charge of producing documents for prosecutors, wants to quash a subpoena compelling him to testify as well.
“My client has done everything he was supposed to,” said Messina’s lawyer, Louis Freeman. “He is the wrong target for a subpoena for documents.”

The Independence Party’s leader Frank McKay refused to comment for the story.

Go-Go June 15, 2010

Points of Public Interest pertaining to Cy Vance’s Campaign Finance Irregularities in collusion with Michael Bloomberg’s campaign and Mark Guma Communications.

· Cy Vance has a longstanding debt to Mark Guma Communications for $273,349 to whom he paid more than 1.1 million dollars to for consulting and electioneering activities from September 2009-January 2010.

· On January 15, 2010, Cy Vance mysteriously reported to the State Board of Elections that he had loan/liabilities to Mark Guma Communications in the amount of $273K that dated back to 9/14/2009. (2009 10 Day Post Primary)

· In a series of shady campaign finance maneuvers reported on campaign filings throughout the 2009 election cycle, Cy Vance has apparently attempted to conceal the fact that Mark Guma has forgiven large sums of debt owed to Mark Guma Communications, Inc. previously invoiced to Cy Vance’s campaign.

· In a series of campaign finance reports, Cy Vance’s campaign reduced their liability to Mark Guma Communications, Inc. by reporting campaign expenditures on section F of their filings (with corresponding check numbers) purportedly written to Mark Guma Communications, while simultaneously reporting on Section O of his finance reports that Mark Guma was making a donation to the campaign for the same amount.

· Vance’s campaign simultaneously reduced the liabilities in section N of its filings by the exact same amounts of each “donation” reported on section O.

*See State BOE Filer ID C36419 (2009 11 Day Pre-General, 2009 27 Day Post General, 2010 January Periodic)

· Thus far, $96,172.85 in debt owed to Mark Guma Communications, Inc has been “written off” by the Cy Vance campaign in a subversive manner, and thereby evading campaign finance limits placed on corporate donations.

· (Section 14 of Election Law)The New York State Board of Elections has ruled that a company or corporation that engages in public relations does not typically lend money to its clients. Therefore, “any loan by the company which is not repaid by the date of the election would be deemed a contribution in accordance with the provisions of the law. If the amount not repaid to the corporation on the date of the election exceeds $5000, the corporation would be in violation of section 14 of Election Law which limits corporate contributions to $5000.” (NYS BOE 1977 Opinion #8)

· In addition, if the company extends credit to a campaign for services performed, with the INTENT to eventually write off the debt, this is considered an act to violate and evade the contribution limits set forth in section 14 of Election Law. (NYS BOE 1977 Opinion #8)

· Section 14-126 of State Election Law clearly states that (3) Any person who knowingly and willfully contributes, accepts or aids or participates in the acceptance of a contribution in an amount exceeding an applicable maximum specified in this article shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

· Section 14-126 of State Election Law clearly states that (4) Any person who shall, acting on behalf of a candidate or political committee, knowingly and willfully …makes expenditures in connection with a nomination for election of any candidate, or solicits any person to make any such expenditures, for the purpose of evading the contribution limitations of this article, shall be guilty of a class E felony.

· Of further consideration, and perhaps more intriguing, is the fact that Mark Guma is married to Maura Keaney, Mike Bloomberg’s Field Operations Director for the 2009 mayoral race. Keaney worked with John Haggerty and was allegedly involved in the Election Day poll operations and planning that has come to light in recent weeks that involved alleged criminal activities.

· Keaney was moved out of her job with the campaign committee in February, around the same time the NY Post began reporting Haggerty’s enormous Election Day pay-off.

· It seems that Cy Vance was receiving his big pay-day from Mark Guma Communications, Inc.

2 Comments

Go-Go June 15, 2010
Points of Public Interest pertaining to Cy Vance’s Campaign Finance Irregularities in collusion with Michael Bloomberg’s campaign and Mark Guma Communications.
· Cy Vance has a longstanding debt to Mark Guma Communications for $273,349 to whom he paid more than 1.1 million dollars to for consulting and electioneering activities from September 2009-January 2010.
· On January 15, 2010, Cy Vance mysteriously reported to the State Board of Elections that he had loan/liabilities to Mark Guma Communications in the amount of $273K that dated back to 9/14/2009. (2009 10 Day Post Primary)
· In a series of shady campaign finance maneuvers reported on campaign filings throughout the 2009 election cycle, Cy Vance has apparently attempted to conceal the fact that Mark Guma has forgiven large sums of debt owed to Mark Guma Communications, Inc. previously invoiced to Cy Vance’s campaign.
· In a series of campaign finance reports, Cy Vance’s campaign reduced their liability to Mark Guma Communications, Inc. by reporting campaign expenditures on section F of their filings (with corresponding check numbers) purportedly written to Mark Guma Communications, while simultaneously reporting on Section O of his finance reports that Mark Guma was making a donation to the campaign for the same amount.
· Vance’s campaign simultaneously reduced the liabilities in section N of its filings by the exact same amounts of each “donation” reported on section O.
*See State BOE Filer ID C36419 (2009 11 Day Pre-General, 2009 27 Day Post General, 2010 January Periodic)
· Thus far, $96,172.85 in debt owed to Mark Guma Communications, Inc has been “written off” by the Cy Vance campaign in a subversive manner, and thereby evading campaign finance limits placed on corporate donations.
· (Section 14 of Election Law)The New York State Board of Elections has ruled that a company or corporation that engages in public relations does not typically lend money to its clients. Therefore, “any loan by the company which is not repaid by the date of the election would be deemed a contribution in accordance with the provisions of the law. If the amount not repaid to the corporation on the date of the election exceeds $5000, the corporation would be in violation of section 14 of Election Law which limits corporate contributions to $5000.” (NYS BOE 1977 Opinion #8)
· In addition, if the company extends credit to a campaign for services performed, with the INTENT to eventually write off the debt, this is considered an act to violate and evade the contribution limits set forth in section 14 of Election Law. (NYS BOE 1977 Opinion #8)
· Section 14-126 of State Election Law clearly states that (3) Any person who knowingly and willfully contributes, accepts or aids or participates in the acceptance of a contribution in an amount exceeding an applicable maximum specified in this article shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
· Section 14-126 of State Election Law clearly states that (4) Any person who shall, acting on behalf of a candidate or political committee, knowingly and willfully …makes expenditures in connection with a nomination for election of any candidate, or solicits any person to make any such expenditures, for the purpose of evading the contribution limitations of this article, shall be guilty of a class E felony.
· Of further consideration, and perhaps more intriguing, is the fact that Mark Guma is married to Maura Keaney, Mike Bloomberg’s Field Operations Director for the 2009 mayoral race. Keaney worked with John Haggerty and was allegedly involved in the Election Day poll operations and planning that has come to light in recent weeks that involved alleged criminal activities.
· Keaney was moved out of her job with the campaign committee in February, around the same time the NY Post began reporting Haggerty’s enormous Election Day pay-off.
· It seems that Cy Vance was receiving his big pay-day from Mark Guma Communications, Inc.
I.M. Thidobeau June 14, 2010
By I.M. Thidobeau
Hear Ye, Hear Ye, folks. Sly Cy’s First Big Power Trip might turn even dirtier…
Between Napoleon Bonaparte Bloomberg, Sly Cy and the good for nothing “Independence Party,” there is more intrigue to come. Let’s see if Haggerty gets squeezed and reveals the real truth. Will Vance himself be implicated in this scandal when the truth comes out? Maura Keaney? Mark Guma? The story may go something like this. Mark Guma is paid over a million dollars by Vance’s campaign for DA for communications work in the past eight months, minus the 270 thousand dollars that is still outstanding and reported as “loans” or liabilities of the campaign. Guma’s wife just happened to be Bloomberg’s “Field Director” who worked with John Haggerty during His Honor’s campaign when the fires started. Meanwhile, in Gotham City, Mark Guma showed his true benevolence by writing off more than $96K in loans he made to Vince’s campaign. Sly Cy reported this to the State Board of Elections by doing a fancy (um, illegal) end-around campaign finance laws. A pay off? Stay tuned. This may get really interesting.
http://www.elections.state.ny.us/

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