Savino pleaded guilty to taking a $15,000 bribe from an undercover agent in exchange for agreeing to help Democrat Malcolm Smith obtain the approval of three Republican County Chairmen, so as to compete in the 2013 GOP mayoral primary without switching his party designation — former Bronx Leader to be sentenced in 2014 and faces thirty (30) years in a Federal lockup
According to Daily News sources, Jay Savino, the former Bronx Republican Chairman, appeared in a Federal Court in White Plains make his plea of guilty as part of a cooperation deal with authorities (See “Former Bronx GOP Chairman Jay Savino Pleads Guilty To Corruption Charges” by Celeste Katz. 11/12/13, Daily News/ Daily Politics [http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2013/11/former-bronx-gop-chairman-jay-savino-pleads-guilty-to-corruption-charges]). In essence Savino admitted that he and others were part of an illegal conspiracy to deprive the NYC GOP and its members of the honest services of its County Chairmen by devising and executing a scheme to subvert the processes of the New York City Republican Party. As part of the scheme, Savino admitted that he had taken a bribe in exchange for a promise to deliver a Wilson-Pakula certificate permitting a Democratic New York State Senator to run as a Republican for Mayor of the City of New York.
The overall scandal caused by the charges of bribery, conspiracy and wire fraud made against Jay Savino and others led to many political consequences in 2013 and going forward. One of those consequences of charges involving Savino, as well as other cases of political corruption, was Governor Cuomo’s empaneling of the Moreland Commission, which has brought on a confrontation between the Governor and the NYS Legislature. Another consequence has been a wholesale upheaval inside the NYC GOP.
In Brooklyn that has taken the form of an intra-party fight between two main factions of the Brooklyn GOP. That fight having been kicked off by a letter from State Senator Martin Golden that attacked Brooklyn Republican Party Chairman Craig Eaton for his suspected involvement with the conspirators named in the Federal criminal charges. Although subsequently such attacks connected to the conspiracy of Jay Savino and others proved to have been unfounded, the Republican intra-party conflict in Brooklyn has since taken on a life of its own and morphed into other attacks and counterattacks, with various claims, innuendoes and insults flying in all directions.
The scandal involving the Bronx GOP chairman and others contributed to an atmosphere that poisoned the entire 2013 election cycle. Many have maintained that it was one of the major factors in causing the entire GOP ticket to suffer brutal loses throughout the City of New York — although it does not explain why it all seemed worse in Brooklyn than most of the rest of the city. After all, the Brooklyn GOP should have been little touched by the scandal.
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There is a buzz from "some people" that believe that Andrew Cuomo has made a mistake with his revival of the Moreland Commission. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver had been tipping within his chamber generally and inside his own caucus in particular from his own overreaching and other reasons, but the threat felt by those in the assembly of an out of control "Moreland" to shine light on many things like the "Who-what-where-how" of "outside income" has made them circle the wagons around "Shelley." Even in the state senate, Cuomo "allies" have become wary about the intrusion.
Money exchanged for a Wilson/Pakula is a crime?
Bloomberg should be doing life without parole.
A party leader took money !!
My God, there's gambling in Casablanca
Rumor has it a young dynamic attorney from Bensonhurst who previously ran for office is planning to challenge Golden next year.
Any news about that ?
The war that Marty started is going to bury him for his next election - I used to be a dear friend of Marty and am a friend of Eaton's and after hearing both sides of the story, what Marty did to someone he used to call a friend was horrible. If he did that to someone he once called a friend, he will not flinch before throwing others under the bus that he does not know. We cannot have a self-fulfilling, selfish man like Marty in an elected position of power. We need to get him out. Everyone can see how he poisoned the Republican party in Brooklyn.
Who is that young attorney from Bensonhurst willing to take on Golden?
Not yet....
If there is, then there might be two, count 'm two (2), possible candidates going around saying that they are interested in running for the state senate.
At least one of them is interested in taking-on Golden in a GOP primary. I have spoken to that former GOP District Leader, who is out there arguing the merits of his run and lining up support.
I heard about the Bensonhurst attorney.
No spring Chicken
I heard two completely different rumors ( one from a Bay Ridge Democrat and the other from a Flatbush Republican) about an anything but young attorney from "Dyker Heights" who would like to run for state senate on the Democratic line. Actually, he was once a GOP office holder many years ago and he recently ran for office as a Democrat.
Oh, his name is John Gangemi.
John Gangemi is my friend.
It works every 40 years.
UPDATE & BACKFILL: THE "MORE THAT THINGS CHANGE, THE MORE THAT THEY STAY THE SAME" EDITION
Today, I received confirmation from a Brooklyn GOP "official" that some time ago, the elder John Gangemi approached that "official" with a request to set up a meeting for the purpose of arranging a Wilson-Pakula endorsement of Mr. JFG to run against State Senator Martin Golden in a GOP primary.
The GOP "O" reported the communication to his/her KCRP "leader", who responded that, no matter what, none of that was going to happen.
NOTE: Mr. JFG said that he intended to run on the Democratic Party line, whether or not he obtained the Wilson-Pakula from any "official" in the GOP.
Gangemi talked about running against Grimm, and he tried to run for BP.
It sounds like he talks a lot.
Talks and does....
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