Company Tied to NYRA Chair Named in Case
May 29, 2015 22:52:07 GMT -5
Post by Evelyn on May 29, 2015 22:52:07 GMT -5
Maybe not a big deal except for the contributions. Cuomo is "paying back" through the NYRA appointments. He's not making them because they are the right ones for NY racing! Politics has been very bad for racing - especially in NY.
Company Tied to NYRA Chair Named in Case
By Tom Precious
Bloodhorse
A company tied to Anthony Bonomo, the new chairman of the New York Racing Association, is named in an indictment against the former majority leader of the New York State Senate.
Prosecutors have not alleged any wrongdoing on the part of Physicians' Reciprocal Insurers, which is overseen by a company Bonomo heads. A company spokesman, Matt Cannon, said May 29 the firm is aware of the indictment of former Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos and his son.
"We are fully cooperating with the U.S. attorney's office in connection with its investigation and are confident that neither PRI nor its executives have done anything inappropriate," he said.
The state does not acknowledge it is the company named in the indictment in which prosecutors say a no-show job was given to the son of Skelos by a malpractice insurance company, though numerous sources over the past two days have said the company is the one headed by Bonomo.
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, who has been investigating corruption in the state capital, on May 28 released a new indictment against Dean Skelos, who resigned his leadership post earlier in May when Bharara first brought his corruption charges against the powerful Long Island Republican.
Though little new ground is broken in the indictment compared with the recent criminal complaint filed when Skelos was arrested several weeks ago, it does state that a medical malpractice firm paid $100,000 to Adam Skelos, the son of the senator who also has been charged in the corruption case against his father. The indictment states that the funds went for a "no-show job" and that the money came while the firm was "actively lobbying" the Senate leader on matters that could affect its business.
The company paying Skelos' son is not specifically named in the indictment, though numerous sources just a couple hours after the indictment was released began pointing to PRI.
Bonomo didn't return messages message left on his cell phone or at the Long Island headquarters of his company. A company lawyer also did not return a call. And a NYRA spokesman has not responded to two days' worth of email messages about the matter.
Bonomo is president of Administrators for the Professions, the company whose operations include PRI; Bonomo also sits on the PRI board. The medical malpractice insurer states on its website that it is the second-largest professional liability carrier in the state, insuring more than 12,000 New York physicians and hundreds of healthcare facilities.
Since 2005 Bonomo has owned Brooklyn Boyz Stables. He was recently tapped by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a major recipient of campaign donations by Bonomo or his family members, to be the chairman of NYRA. He had previously been a NYRA board member named by Senate Republicans when Skelos was in control, but Cuomo reappointed Bonomo in 2012 as an administration representative when the state took over the control of the board during what was to have been a three-year reorganization period.
That oversight period has been extended another year into 2016.
Bonomo, a deep-pocket political donor, has been a political supporter of Skelos, and his firm employs a who's who of lobbyists, including one run by former U.S. Sen. Alfonse D'Amato, according to lobbying records.
Cuomo in April announced Bonomo was to become the new NYRA chairman, putting him in the key leadership position at a time when the future governance structure of NYRA is to be decided in the coming year.
The indictment against Skelos and his son does not make any allegations of illegal acts by the unnamed medical malpractice insurance company. The case centers around criminal charges that include allegations that Skelos used his position as Senate majority leader to pressure entities with business before the state to provide money or work to his son, Adam, who is also charged in the six-count criminal case. Skelos has said the case has no merit and he is innocent.
Company Tied to NYRA Chair Named in Case
By Tom Precious
Bloodhorse
A company tied to Anthony Bonomo, the new chairman of the New York Racing Association, is named in an indictment against the former majority leader of the New York State Senate.
Prosecutors have not alleged any wrongdoing on the part of Physicians' Reciprocal Insurers, which is overseen by a company Bonomo heads. A company spokesman, Matt Cannon, said May 29 the firm is aware of the indictment of former Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos and his son.
"We are fully cooperating with the U.S. attorney's office in connection with its investigation and are confident that neither PRI nor its executives have done anything inappropriate," he said.
The state does not acknowledge it is the company named in the indictment in which prosecutors say a no-show job was given to the son of Skelos by a malpractice insurance company, though numerous sources over the past two days have said the company is the one headed by Bonomo.
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, who has been investigating corruption in the state capital, on May 28 released a new indictment against Dean Skelos, who resigned his leadership post earlier in May when Bharara first brought his corruption charges against the powerful Long Island Republican.
Though little new ground is broken in the indictment compared with the recent criminal complaint filed when Skelos was arrested several weeks ago, it does state that a medical malpractice firm paid $100,000 to Adam Skelos, the son of the senator who also has been charged in the corruption case against his father. The indictment states that the funds went for a "no-show job" and that the money came while the firm was "actively lobbying" the Senate leader on matters that could affect its business.
The company paying Skelos' son is not specifically named in the indictment, though numerous sources just a couple hours after the indictment was released began pointing to PRI.
Bonomo didn't return messages message left on his cell phone or at the Long Island headquarters of his company. A company lawyer also did not return a call. And a NYRA spokesman has not responded to two days' worth of email messages about the matter.
Bonomo is president of Administrators for the Professions, the company whose operations include PRI; Bonomo also sits on the PRI board. The medical malpractice insurer states on its website that it is the second-largest professional liability carrier in the state, insuring more than 12,000 New York physicians and hundreds of healthcare facilities.
Since 2005 Bonomo has owned Brooklyn Boyz Stables. He was recently tapped by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a major recipient of campaign donations by Bonomo or his family members, to be the chairman of NYRA. He had previously been a NYRA board member named by Senate Republicans when Skelos was in control, but Cuomo reappointed Bonomo in 2012 as an administration representative when the state took over the control of the board during what was to have been a three-year reorganization period.
That oversight period has been extended another year into 2016.
Bonomo, a deep-pocket political donor, has been a political supporter of Skelos, and his firm employs a who's who of lobbyists, including one run by former U.S. Sen. Alfonse D'Amato, according to lobbying records.
Cuomo in April announced Bonomo was to become the new NYRA chairman, putting him in the key leadership position at a time when the future governance structure of NYRA is to be decided in the coming year.
The indictment against Skelos and his son does not make any allegations of illegal acts by the unnamed medical malpractice insurance company. The case centers around criminal charges that include allegations that Skelos used his position as Senate majority leader to pressure entities with business before the state to provide money or work to his son, Adam, who is also charged in the six-count criminal case. Skelos has said the case has no merit and he is innocent.