UPDATE: THE “BOY, DID WE CALL THIS ONE RIGHT” EDITION

As predicted here, the NY POST and the Moreland Commission has tied “... cans to the tails of a few politicos very near and dear to [Conservative Party Chairman] Kassar himself....”   —   Both State Senators Martin Golden and Simcha Felder tied to an emerging scandal that was uncovered by Moreland Commission and is being referred to NY State and Federal prosecutors

Not quite two weeks ago, I mentioned the following at the end of a post about Jerry Kassar: “...And now for something completely different....  Instead of bridge tolls that neither he nor his boss can seem to do anything about, Kassar needs to get on top of the growing local scandal involving the Boro Park non-profit group, Relief Resources....  The NY Post has done a pair of reports that the Moreland Commission is looking into that local group and a couple of others that share its address. Before it’s all over, the Moreland Commission will probably tie those cans to the tails of a few politicos very near and dear to Kassar himself....” (See “Jerry Kassar can’t be taken seriously as a commentator — Or can he ?” posted by Galwyn Massey below at 12/11/13 [http://galewynmassey.blogspot.com/2013/12/jerry-kassar-cant-be-taken-seriously-as.html#comment-form]). Two astute comment makers to that post seemed to zero in on things even a bit more: “Anonymous        December 11, 2013 at 6:57 AM  –  Do any of those ‘... politicos very near and dear to Kassar himself’ include the man Jerry Kassar works for, State Senator Golden?” ; and “Anonymous       December 12, 2013 at 6:58 AM  –   #1 on the list Simcha Felder: Democrat State Senator that lines up with Republican Senate Leader Dean Skelos, also endorsed by Kassar's Brooklyn Conservative Party, funded Relief Services while on the City Council.”

Now the NY Post is reporting that both State Senator Martin Golden (R-C-I) and Simcha Felder (D-C-I) do have connections to the Boro Park charity that is being probed by the Moreland Commission for corruption (See “2 probes against ‘charity’” by Carl Campanile, 12/23/13, NY Post/Metro [http://nypost.com/2013/12/23/2-probes-against-charity/]). According to the report in the Post, “A Brooklyn not-for-profit group with ties to powerful New York politicians is now the subject of two separate criminal probes, The Post has learned.. ***  Gov. Cuomo’s commission to combat public corruption referred its investigative findings about Relief Resources Inc. — a Borough Park-based storefront charity that took in nearly $3 million in legislative grants but did not seem to provide many services — to US Eastern District Attorney Loretta Lynch and state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman for potential prosecution, sources close to the commission said.... *** ...Relief Resources, which supposedly provides mental-health services, was co-founded by powerhouse rabbi, lobbyist and charity chieftain Shiya Ostreicher, who has a hand in four other groups, including two with the same storefront address as Relief Resources: 5904 13th Ave. ***  The group has received legislative grants from two heads of the state Senate — $250,000 from ex-GOP Majority Leader Joe Bruno and $300,000 from former Democratic leader Malcolm Smith, as well as backing from Brooklyn lawmakers Martin Golden and Simcha Felder....”

It certainly doesn’t do the Kings County Conservative Chairman Jerry Kassar’s principal NY Senate wards and endorsees in Brooklyn, Golden and Felder, any good to have their names so prominently mentioned in an article that closes with this: “‘The Moreland Commission is aggressively moving forward with its investigations to carry out its mission of rooting out public corruption,’ said Moreland Commission spokeswoman Michelle Duffy.”

One is also struck by the Karma that is so manifest in this emerging “scandal”  —   2013 opened with State Senator Golden’s unfairly trying to tie a scandal involving State Senator Malcolm Smith to GOP County Leader Craig Eaton; and the year 2013 closes with the NY Post tying Golden himself to a completely different scandal possibly involving Malcolm Smith.