Bloomberg starts Super PAC to distort democracy across USA

New York City billionaire Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that he would be creating his own “super PAC” to funnel over $10 million in campaign donations to distort elections, much like he funneled money to distort prior elections.

Blogger and artist Suzannah B. Troy posted that Mayor Bloomberg wants to "buy more elections."

Espaillat-Rangel BOE Documents

New York City Board of Elections : What would Mayor Michael Bloomberg do ? Oh, that's right : he would hire ballot security political operatives through money funneled to the Independence Party.

Too bad nobody can count on Mayor Michael Bloomberg to lead the charge on electoral system reform. He's too busy recovering from having had to provide trial testimony against his formerly-paid "campaign volunteer," John Haggerty, Jr.

NYC BOE Regarding Unofficial Election Results

Here are the two relevant documents (above and below) regarding only the most recent Board of Election scandal, this time involving Adriano Espaillat and Charles Rangel.

Espaillat v BOE Et Al OSC - No 103155 - 6292012_00000

John Haggerty Motions Ruling

Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Ronald Zweibel's decision on John Haggerty's motion to dismiss charges.

Decision on Haggerty motions

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John Haggerty H. R. Haldeman Jail Time

NYDaily News : John Haggerty was sentenced to 1 1/3 to 4 years on each of two counts of supposedly "stealing" money from Mayor Michael Bloomberg. After being sentenced, Mr. Haggerty was taken into custody.

From The New York Daily News :

The Queens political operative who stole nearly $1 million from Mayor Bloomberg is heading to the slammer.

A judge dismissed pleas for leniency and sentenced John Haggerty to one and a third to four years in state prison.

Probation was not enough, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Ronald Zweibel said, “in order to restore the public confidence in the electoral process and to serve as a deterent.”

Also, Haggerty will have to return the $900,000 or so he stole from Bloomberg, the judge said.

That means Haggerty will likely have to sell the $1.6 million Forest Hills house he grew up in — and which he ripped off the mayor to buy out his brother’s share. ...

Mayor Bloomberg's shady campaign finance scandal is an outrage, not to mention the fact that Mayor Bloomberg was hiring political operatives to suppress the vote through "thinly-veiled ballot security operations," but, just like the Watergate scandal, only the aids to the executive politician go to jail, not the crooked politician, who gets blanket immunity/pardon.

Haggerty Lawyers Accuse Bloomberg of Suppressing Vote

Defense Lawyers for John F. Haggerty, Jr., attack Mayor Michael Bloomberg over Campaign Finance Scandal.

In shocking opening statements by John Haggerty's defense attorney, Raymond R. Castello, it was said that Mayor Michael Bloomberg hired Mr. Hatterty to conduct a voter suppression campaign, in order to ensure that Mayor Bloomberg would win a previously illegal third term in office.

Mr. Haggerty, a GOP operative, is accused of stealing over $1 million of secret campaign-related payments made by Mayor Bloomberg from one of his private banking accounts. By making the campaign-related payments from his private, personal monies, Mayor Bloomberg was able to funnel the payments to Mr. Haggerty via the Independence Party, thereby circumventing and violating the spirit of campaign finance disclosure requirements. For his part, Mr. Haggerty used a majority of the secret campaign-related payments to buy out his brother's interest in a house.

“The story here is not about theft,” Mr. Castello said. “There was none. This case is about winning at all costs. That’s what Michael Bloomberg is all about, and that certainly is what he was all about in 2009.”

Mayor Bloomberg -- this is all according to The New York Times' article about the opening day of Haggerty Trial -- is expected to testify against Mr. Haggerty.

Meanwhile, even though Mayor Bloomberg has accused Mr. Haggerty of saying anything to avoid prison, Mr. Haggerty has nonetheless found prominent political consultancy work after the accusations of the Bloomberg campaign finance scandal, including serving as an advisor to failed 2010 GOP gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino. Stay tuned.

Mr. Haggerty, right, escorts 2010 GOP gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino during the Columbus Day Parade in New York City on October 11, 2010. Photo by Anonymous.

Allison Jaffin-Haggerty Scam Witness

05 Oct 2011 Update : Fiona Reid has been identified as the double-dipping mayoral aide, who carried out an affair with Mr. Haggerty.

Mayor Bloomberg pays Allison Jaffin two salaries, even though she works for New York City. Ms. Jaffin is now a key witness in the criminal trial about the secret campaign money funneled to Mr. Haggerty in the 2009 New York City Mayoral Campaign.

When it comes to getting paid, Allison Jaffin likes to ''double dip'' -- she gets her first paycheck from the City of New York and a second one from Mayor Michael Bloomberg's private checkbook.

Ms. Jaffin has been identified as a key witness in the criminal investigation and trial against John Haggerty, a Queens Republican political operative, who stands accused of misusing over $1 million in undisclosed campaign payments paid in 2009 -- not by the Committee to Reëlect the Mayor (CREEM), but by (again) Mayor Bloomberg's private checkbook. Ms. Jaffin is alleged to have helped arrange the large yet unreported campaign cash transaction between Mayor Bloomberg and Mr. Haggerty.

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Separately, it has recently come to light that Mr. Haggerty has been accused to have been having an affair with an unnamed mayoral aide, who was also linked with CREEM, according to desperate and lascivious rumours mysteriously leaked to The New York Daily News.

For his part, Mayor Bloomberg asserts that there's nothing wrong for one of his female aids to make money on the side. ''Mr. Bloomberg said he saw nothing wrong with his paying government employees for private work,'' reported The Wall Street Journal.

Ms. Jaffin, The Journal reported, is on the city payroll, gets paid a second time from the mayor's ''private payroll,'' and, in 2009, she volunteered for CREEM. Separately, The New York Daily News has reported that Ms. Jaffin has also worked for the Bloomberg Family Foundation. It's not yet known who was the double-dipping mayoral aide, with whom Mr. Haggerty carried his torrid, extramarital affair. But artist and political commentator Suzannah B. Troy believes that the salacious rumours leaked to The Daily News was an underhanded way to bully Mr. Haggerty into keeping his mouth shut.

John Haggerty Update - Is the Report of Mr. Haggerty's Alleged Affair Part of a Distraction Strategy ?

The New York Daily News tries to shame John Haggerty by publicising an alleged extra marital affair Mr. Haggerty had in the time before Mayor Michael Bloomberg's 2009 reëlection. Artist and political commentator Suzannah B. Troy gives us her analysis of this latest tangential distraction from Mayor Bloomberg's campaign finance scandal. Does the fact that Mr. Haggerty had or did not have an affair have any bearing on the fact that Mayor Bloomberg used undeclared private funds for campaign-related activities ? Listen to Ms. Troy and decide for yourself.

Halt To Inquiry Into Bloomberg Campaign Finance Violations Raises Questions

The New York City Campaign Finance Board is suspending its investigation into whether the committee to reëlect Mayor Michael Bloomberg violated disclosure rules ; the suspension is coming on the orders of the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, sources have told The New York Post.

Presumably because oral arguments in the District Attorney's criminal case against John Haggerty are being heard tomorrow, Manhattan DA Cy Vance's office has asked the Campaign Finance Board to hold off its review of Mayor Bloomberg's financial disclosures in connection with his 2009 reëlection campaign.

Mr. Haggerty is accused of misusing approximately $1.1 million in undisclosed money from Mayor Bloomberg's personal-private accounts, which had been paid to the Independence Party ; it has been reported that Mr. Haggerty bought a house with most of the proceeds of Mayor Bloomberg's political donation.

Meanwhile, one questions why Mr. Haggerty is being charged with misusing a political client's money, if he can continue to be hired for his political and campaign services. If Mr. Haggerty was, indeed, a thief, then he would not have been hired to work for 2010 GOP gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino.

If the intention for Mr. Bloomberg's off-committee donation to the Independence Party was always meant to be a way to funnel money to Mr. Haggerty, then it was Mr. Bloomberg, who failed to disclose the campaign payment, not Mr. Haggerty, who misused the proceeds.

That Mr. Vance has asked for the suspension of the Campaign Finance Board's investigation makes one question his motive. As The Post reported, ''If the CFB decides the mayor was trying to hide spending that benefited him directly, he could face a significant fine.''

Mayor Michael Bloomberg Made More Secret Campaign Donations

Mayor Bloomberg has a track record of spending money for his political campaigns out of his private accounts, in addition to his official campaign committee accounts.

Thanks to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the Republican Party is expected to once again take control over the New York State Senate.

The New York Daily News reported that Republicans regained control by a very slim margin of votes (one race was won by less than 500 votes). In this kind of competition, money undoubtedly could have played a big factor. And when it comes to parlaying money into power, no one person can use his money to buy influence the way that can Mayor Bloomberg.

''Bloomberg secretly gave $900,000 to a barely regulated 'housekeeping' account for the Senate Republican campaign, two sources confirm,'' reported Adam Lisberg.

Mr. Lisberg added that the Republican Party account, which received Mayor Bloomberg's donations, ''doesn't have to report its finances for another month,'' but unnamed sources confirmed to The Daily News that Mayor Bloomberg funneled his donations in two sizeable payments -- ''an initial donation of $650,000, then $250,000 more to help push the GOP over the edge.''

These donations, made in the 2010 election cycle, follow a pattern of secret payments made by Mayor Bloomberg in past election cycles. Much like President Richard Nixon, whose political campaigns had carried out a long set of activities to attack and disrupt the Democrats way before the Watergate Hotel break-in, Mayor Bloomberg's political campaigns of 2005 and 2009 engaging in funneling secret payments out of the mayor's personal accounts to political parties for use in campaign activitis.

Bloomberg to continue to funnel NYC taxpayer money to questionable agency connected to Vito Lopez

From one political boss to another,
Mayor Bloomberg to Assemblyman Vito Lopez :
''Who's your money honey ?''

In the midst of several investigations into fraud, mismanagement, and possible corruption at the Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has said that taxpayer money from New York City will continue to be paid to the questionable organisation, The Brooklyn Paper has reported.

New York City will pay taxpayer money in the amount of $135 million to Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council for home attendant services that the organisation reportedly provides in Brooklyn and Queens, wrote Aaron Short, a reporter for The Brooklyn Paper. The outlandish amount of money comes under two contracts with New York City, and the performance of such contracts have to be called into question if there is illegality involved by Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council. Here are some additional facts from Mr. Short's article :

'' Last month, the city delayed pending contracts to Ridgewood Bushwick in light of a city investigation that found fraudulent billing for nonexistent programs and clueless board members who approved huge raises for the nonprofit’s top executives.

'' The state then announced that it would halt all new and existing contracts to Ridgewood Bushwick amid two federal investigations, as the attorney general’s office conducts a thorough review of its most recently submitted audit.

'' The nonprofit has also drawn scrutiny for its workers’ role in allegedly encouraging voters to [pull] the lever or fill in their ballot bubbles for the charity’s founder, Assemblyman Vito Lopez, who is also the Brooklyn Democratic Party chairman. ''

Meanwhile, community reaction has been one of outrage, disbelief, and anger.

Mr. Short reported that Elaine Boardman, who is associated with the Jewish Association for Services of the Aged, said that she was ''outraged'' that, during the financial scandal investiations, New York City would continue to pay money to Ridgewood Bushwick.

Bloomberg's 3-Tier Campaign Finance Structure

In motion papers filed yesterday, lawyers for indicted campaign worker John F. Haggerty, Jr., asserted that Mayor Michael Bloomberg's 2009 reëlection campaign had structured ''donation'' payments from the mayor's private bank accounts to the Independence Party, with the participation of Deputy Mayor Kevin Sheekey.

"Bloomberg's money went into the party's 'housekeeping account,' which is supposed to support only general party activities," reported Adam Lisberg from The Daily News.

Besides the millions that Mayor Bloomberg spent from his campaign committee account, he also has spent unknown millions from his personal (private) bank accounts, as well as having made millions of dollars in ''donations'' to charitable organisations in exchange for their political support in overturning the term limits law.

Here we begin to see clear evidence of a three-tiered campaign funding operation, where only one tier was ever meant to be disclosed or reported.

We like @billthompsonnyc, but is he really in the mayoral race to win it ? nyc-mayor-2013.blogspot.com/p/bill-thompso… : Financial reliance on @mikebloomberg

— Louis Flores (@maslowsneeds) February 18, 2013

Haggerty, Sheekey planned to hide campaign payments

''Indicted campaign aide John Haggerty points finger at Mayor Bloomberg's former deputy mayor,'' reports The New York Daily News.

In motion papers filed yesterday, lawyers for indicted campaign worker John F. Haggerty, Jr., asserted that Mayor Michael Bloomberg's 2009 reëlection campaign had structured ''donation'' payments from the mayor's private bank accounts to the Independence Party, with the participation of Deputy Mayor Kevin Sheekey.

"Bloomberg's money went into the party's 'housekeeping account,' which is supposed to support only general party activities," reported Adam Lisberg from The Daily News.

"...Deputy Mayor Kevin Sheekey convinced Bloomberg to hire the state Independence Party to do the monitoring - instead of using his own campaign team," The Daily News reported.

But how could it come to be that Deputy Mayor Sheeky was planning the mayor's reëlection campaign strategy in respect of monitoring activities ? Whatismore, was it Sheekey who proposed the use of private monies to pay for the campaign activities, or was it Mayor Bloomberg, who told Sheekey to use the mayor's personal accounts -- instead of the mayor's campaign committee accounts -- to funnel money through the Independence Party, in order to pay for Haggerty's election day operations ?

Besides the millions that Mayor Bloomberg spent from his campaign committee account, he also has spent unknown millions from his personal (private) bank accounts, as well as having made millions of dollars in ''donations'' to charitable organisations in exchange for their political support in overturning the term limits law.

The journalist Aram Roston has reported that in Mayor Michael Bloomberg's campaigns in each of 2005 and 2009, the mayor paid money out of his private accounts that were ultimately funneled to the political operative John Haggerty.

Much like President Richard Nixon, whose political campaigns had carried out a long set of activities to attack and disrupt the Democrats way before the Watergate Hotel break-in, here we have Mayor Bloomberg's political campaigns of 2005 and 2009 engaging in funneling secret payments out of the mayor's personal accounts to political parties for use in campaign activitis.

The mayor has a track record of spending money for his political campaigns out of his private accounts, in addition to his official campaign committee accounts. Therefore, the amounts that the mayor has reported and certified as being his campaign finances cannot be neither true, accurate, nor complete.

Add to that the fact that it has been alleged that Mayor Bloomberg has paid millions to charitable organisations in exchange for their political support, and you begin to realise that we really don't know how much money he has spent on campaigning or electioneering to be mayor.

Here we begin to see clear evidence of a three-tiered campaign funding operation, where only one tier was ever meant to be disclosed or reported.

Haggerty Obstruction of Justice ?

Photo Credit : http://truenewsfromchangenyc.blogspot.com/2010/09/steve-rattner-pension-rat-rats-on-white.html

Mayor Bloomberg is trying to thwart the corruption investigation of John Haggerty, Jr.
In the criminal corruption investigation of the possible misuse of $750,000 by campaign worker John Haggerty, Jr., the office of Mayor Michael Bloomberg refuses to release additional e-mails on the grounds of "personal privacy," so reported The New York Post.

''The skimpy exchanges that were provided with Haggerty indicate he was close as could be to top mayoral aides,'' reported David Seifman, the reporter from The New York Post. Mr. Haggerty is charged with stealing $750,000 from payments that were made from Mayor Bloomberg's personal bank accounts, money that was meant for the Independence Party's Election Day poll-watching operations.

2 sets of campaign books

The New York Observer finds a pattern to Mayor Michael Bloomberg's secret campaign payments.

The journalist Aram Roston has reported that in Mayor Michael Bloomberg's campaigns in each of 2005 and 2009, the mayor paid money out of his private accounts that were ultimately funneled to the political operative John Haggerty.

If we are to accept that the mayor has a track record of spending money for his political campaigns out of his private accounts, in addition to his official campaign committee accounts, then the amounts that the mayor has reported and certified as being his campaign finances cannot be either true, accurate, or complete.

Add to that the fact that it has been alleged that Mayor Bloomberg has paid millions to charitable organisations in exchange for their political support, and you begin to realise that we really don't know how much money he has spent on campaigning or electioneering to be mayor.

We can only guess that the reason the mayor has used his private accounts to pay intermediaries for campaign-related services like ''ballot security'' was to evade the reporting and disclosure requirements of the campaign accounts. Meanwhile, for his part in the money funneling operation, Mr. Haggerty is facing criminal charges for how he spent the campaign payments.

Cy Vance's campaign responds

Anonymous leaks about Cy Vance's alleged Campaign Finance Irregularities triggers an official response from Mr. Vance's campaign treasurer.

A representative from Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance's campaign has called Suzannah B. Troy to issue an official communication in response to questions about campaign payments made or debts owed to Mark Guma.

Compromise the Investigator

Cy Vance, Mark Guma, Maura Keaney, and John Haggerty : Campaign finance irregularities that may compromise the Manhattan District Attorney's Office

Suzannah B. Troy has published a shocking independent journalist report, one that is brave, because we are relying on the integrity of anonymous information, to show that certain irregular financial transactions took place within Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance's election campaign.

'' 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. ''

If this is true, and you can read the entirety of Ms. Troy's information at the end of this post, then Ms. Troy is right when she draws the conclusion that District Attorney Cy Vance's campaign finance irregularities and/or ties to Mayor Michael Bloomberg's own campaign finance scandal, compromise the District Attorney's integrity. Mr. Vance's campaign must now fully explain its association with John Haggerty, since his own office is now investigating Mr. Haggerty's alleged criminal campaign activities.

Cy Vance Mike Bloomberg = Teflon Mike Bloomberg info sent to me by a source.

This was emailed to me and I am posting. I am a blogger and I don't have the resources that a David Seifman has or the contacts including a press pass. I have not gotten to interview this person but I wanted to share this with my followers and you decide what to make of this. If this is true than it proves that Cy Vance has every reason in his power as I am sure many others do for different reasons to make sure this powerful connected man, Mike Bloomberg who doesn't respect limits of any kind remains Teflon Mike -- that he remains above the law.

If this is all true than I am glad I have gone to "outside sources" beyond the NYPD forwarding the cyber stalker identity thief continued and on going harassment on YouTube of me and others. The Queens DA has the evidence from when the freak stole Tony Avella's identity the day after the election to harass me and others so I am glad the Queens DA doesn't have the issues that Cy Vance has. Here is the info I was sent:

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.

"Too Many Free Passes"

Mayor Bloomb3rg's th3rd t3rm l3gitimacy can b3 s33n on John Hagg3rty's invoic3.

Check out Suzannah B. Troy's YouTube video, in which she discusses Mayor Michael Bloomberg's $750,000 campaign finance scandal. She also discusses how the Bloomberg administration put construction and development before infrastructure ; she adds, "There were too many free passes."

For some background about Mayor Bloomberg's campaign finance scandal, please read the independent blogger Gregg Walker's viewpoint report.