Latest news with #AbramsFensterman
New York Post
10 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Expect Gov. Hochul's new Parole Board picks to keep letting cop-killers walk free
Whatever her other efforts to undo New York state's worst criminal-justice moves of recent years, Gov. Kathy Hochul doesn't seem to be trying to clean up the pro-criminal Parole Board. The just-finished legislative session saw the Senate quietly confirm four of her nominees to the board — two to fill longstanding vacancies, two to finally replace members installed by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo whose terms had expired some time ago. Going on four years after he resigned in a cloud of scandal, Cuomo picks until now still constituted a majority of the board, in part because Hochul hasn't pushed to put her own stamp on it — perhaps out of a calculation that the progressive, pro-criminal faction that controls the state Senate wouldn't confirm any tough-on-crime nominees, so what's the point? This bunch won't make a difference on the let-'em-loose panel, which has sprung at least 43 cop-killers these last eight years. It likely would've been 44, except the board last month kicked the can until after next week's Democratic mayoral primary on releasing David McClary, the gangbanger convicted of assassinating Police Officer Edward Byrne in 1988. With Cuomo running as tougher on crime than other Democrats, some suggest the delay was a bid to shield him from embarrassment before primary day. Anyway, Hochul's picks, who'll rake in $190,000 for this part-time post, look unlikely to shift the board: Lefty ex-Assemblyman Danny O'Donnell is a former public defender. Darlene Grant Bruce serves on the board of a West Harlem community services nonprofit. Elizabeth Kase is a defense attorney who specializes in cannabis law, and a partner at the politically wired firm Abrams Fensterman. José Gomérez is at best a mystery: The NYPD veteran, born and raised in the Dominican Republic, abruptly resigned as Newburgh police commissioner in May 2024 after less than three years on the job. Yet the simple fact is that the Senate wouldn't have confirmed any Parole Board nominees it hard reason to think might get tough: It certainly balks at the gov's efforts to keep the state's courts from shifting further left. Meanwhile, the Legislature keeps making it easier to qualify for parole, and the 2021 passage of the 'Less is More' law, which Hochul signed in her first months as gov, also made it easier for parole violators to stay out of prison. Bottom line: Hochul's unwilling or unable (or both) to stand up to the left on this front, as on so many others. So bet that Officer Byrne's assassin will soon walk, with a steady parade of freed cop-killers and other bad guys to follow — until New York voters start demanding candidates who'll actually support for law and order.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Eric Adams sues Campaign Finance Board for denying him millions in matching funds
NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Eric Adams filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging the city Campaign Finance Board's decision to deny him millions of dollars in public matching funds. Adams' lawsuit against the board, filed in state Supreme Court in Brooklyn, accuses the board of violating city, state and federal rules and seeks the release of $3.4 million that would bolster his longshot reelection bid. 'As will become evident, there's no legal basis to hold back matching funds,' the mayor's attorney, campaign chair and former chief of staff, Frank Carone, said in a statement. 'This was decided on hearsay allegations and political preference.' The legal salvo marks a dramatic escalation in the showdown between the board and Adams. The mayor dropped out of the Democratic primary, which Andrew Cuomo is leading, after a judge tossed his federal corruption case at the behest of President Donald Trump's Department of Justice. But his plans to run as an independent have been financially crippled by the Campaign Finance Board. The board first denied Adams matching funds in December, citing the five-count bribery indictment against the mayor, in addition to his team's refusal to provide campaign finance regulators with requested information. The lawsuit noted the campaign has since submitted that paperwork. The filing further argues the board adopted an illegally vague standard by saying it 'had reason to believe' Adams violated state and city laws based on the indictment without offering specifics. And now that the U.S. Department of Justice dismissed the case, the suit further posits, the board should not rely on the allegations at all. 'An indictment is not a conviction; a politically-driven indictment that has been dismissed and for which there is no corroborating evidence is worth nothing at all,' Abrams Fensterman attorney Robert Spolzino wrote in the suit. 'The CFB's reliance on the indictment as proof of anything, particularly now that it has been dismissed with prejudice, is, therefore, arbitrary, capricious, violative of lawful procedure, and erroneous as a matter of law.' Carone, who advised Adams' 2021 mayoral campaign, was a partner at Abrams Fensterman before going into City Hall. He later returned to the firm — which is being paid by the Adams campaign — on an of counsel basis. The board declined to comment and will revisit Adams' eligibility for matching funds in July. The Campaign Finance Board matches qualifying donations 8-1 with taxpayer dollars to discourage big money from controlling local elections. In exchange, it caps total spending for all participating candidates. Since its initial denial of Adams' request in December, it has expanded the criteria for its decision. On April 11, for example, the board cited not only the defunct indictment, but two key documents related to its dismissal. The first is a letter from the former U.S. Attorney prosecuting the case, who resigned in protest and called the deal between Adams and President Donald Trump's DOJ a quid pro quo. The board also referenced the dismissal decision from Judge Dale Ho, who said it 'smacked of a bargain' between Adams and the Trump administration. The lawsuit filed Tuesday argued the indictment contained no evidence Adams committed a crime. Instead, the indictment's accusations that Adams accepted travel perks and straw donations in exchange for calling a former FDNY commissioner to inquire about the opening of the Turkish embassy were based on the actions of others affiliated with the campaign, the suit alleges. The lawsuit also repeats Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove's contention that the case was politically motivated — though that logic is contradicted by the mass DOJ resignations in protest of the decision to toss the charges. The suit marks the latest twist in the mayor's wayward electoral path. Adams has said the delay in dismissing his case caused him to miss the primary because he did not want to run with the charges hanging over his head. But Tuesday's lawsuit suggests his decision was also a fiscal one. 'The CFB's action has effectively made it impossible for Mayor Adams to compete in the Democratic primary election,' Spolzino wrote. Adams' lawsuit also alleges that the board's decision disempowers the donors who expected their contributions to be matched. 'After months of cooperation, it became clear that the CFB is intent on indirectly disenfranchising thousands of everyday New Yorkers who donated to Mayor Adams because his leadership has improved their lives,' Carone said. 'The only recourse is to demonstrate the utter lack of evidence and hold the Board accountable through the judicial system.'
Politico
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Eric Adams sues Campaign Finance Board for denying him millions in matching funds
NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Eric Adams filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging the city Campaign Finance Board's decision to deny him millions of dollars in public matching funds. Adams' lawsuit against the board, filed in state Supreme Court in Brooklyn, accuses the board of violating city, state and federal rules and seeks the release of $3.4 million that would bolster his longshot reelection bid. 'As will become evident, there's no legal basis to hold back matching funds,' the mayor's attorney, campaign chair and former chief of staff, Frank Carone, said in a statement. 'This was decided on hearsay allegations and political preference.' The legal salvo marks a dramatic escalation in the showdown between the board and Adams. The mayor dropped out of the Democratic primary, which Andrew Cuomo is leading, after a judge tossed his federal corruption case at the behest of President Donald Trump's Department of Justice. But his plans to run as an independent have been financially crippled by the Campaign Finance Board. The board first denied Adams matching funds in December, citing the five-count bribery indictment against the mayor, in addition to his team's refusal to provide campaign finance regulators with requested information. The lawsuit noted the campaign has since submitted that paperwork. The filing further argues the board adopted an illegally vague standard by saying it 'had reason to believe' Adams violated state and city laws based on the indictment without offering specifics. And now that the U.S. Department of Justice dismissed the case, the suit further posits, the board should not rely on the allegations at all. 'An indictment is not a conviction; a politically-driven indictment that has been dismissed and for which there is no corroborating evidence is worth nothing at all,' Abrams Fensterman attorney Robert Spolzino wrote in the suit. 'The CFB's reliance on the indictment as proof of anything, particularly now that it has been dismissed with prejudice, is, therefore, arbitrary, capricious, violative of lawful procedure, and erroneous as a matter of law.' Carone, who advised Adams' 2021 mayoral campaign, was a partner at Abrams Fensterman before going into City Hall. He later returned to the firm — which is being paid by the Adams campaign — on an of counsel basis. The board declined to comment and will revisit Adams' eligibility for matching funds in July. The Campaign Finance Board matches qualifying donations 8-1 with taxpayer dollars to discourage big money from controlling local elections. In exchange, it caps total spending for all participating candidates. Since its initial denial of Adams' request in December, it has expanded the criteria for its decision. On April 11, for example, the board cited not only the defunct indictment, but two key documents related to its dismissal. The first is a letter from the former U.S. Attorney prosecuting the case, who resigned in protest and called the deal between Adams and President Donald Trump's DOJ a quid pro quo. The board also referenced the dismissal decision from Judge Dale Ho, who said it 'smacked of a bargain' between Adams and the Trump administration. The lawsuit filed Tuesday argued the indictment contained no evidence Adams committed a crime. Instead, the indictment's accusations that Adams accepted travel perks and straw donations in exchange for calling a former FDNY commissioner to inquire about the opening of the Turkish embassy were based on the actions of others affiliated with the campaign, the suit alleges. The lawsuit also repeats Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove's contention that the case was politically motivated — though that logic is contradicted by the mass DOJ resignations in protest of the decision to toss the charges. The suit marks the latest twist in the mayor's wayward electoral path. Adams has said the delay in dismissing his case caused him to miss the primary because he did not want to run with the charges hanging over his head. But Tuesday's lawsuit suggests his decision was also a fiscal one. 'The CFB's action has effectively made it impossible for Mayor Adams to compete in the Democratic primary election,' Spolzino wrote. Adams' lawsuit also alleges that the board's decision disempowers the donors who expected their contributions to be matched. 'After months of cooperation, it became clear that the CFB is intent on indirectly disenfranchising thousands of everyday New Yorkers who donated to Mayor Adams because his leadership has improved their lives,' Carone said. 'The only recourse is to demonstrate the utter lack of evidence and hold the Board accountable through the judicial system.'
