{"id":11746,"date":"2015-05-05T11:13:19","date_gmt":"2015-05-05T18:13:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=11746"},"modified":"2015-05-05T11:13:19","modified_gmt":"2015-05-05T18:13:19","slug":"n-y-state-senator-and-son-indicted-for-extorting-businesses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=11746","title":{"rendered":"N.Y. State Senator and Son Indicted for Extorting Businesses"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Skelos_Senator-Dean\"<\/a>
New York State Senator Dean Skelos<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

NEW YORK<\/strong> – New York State Senator Dean Skelos<\/strong> and his son, Adam Skelos,<\/strong> were arrested Monday for allegedly extorting people who were doing business in the state, according to authorities.<\/p>\n

The younger Skelos alleged took the payments in exchange for political favors, officials said.<\/p>\n

The two \u00a0were also charged with bribery and honest services fraud schemes.<\/p>\n

The older Skelos is accused of illegally receiving a $20,000 payment for his son. A large real estate developer made the payment in exchange for tax breaks from Dean Skelos. \u00a0An environmental technology company made a $10,000 payment to get government contracts in New York state, according to officials.<\/p>\n

The New York Times reported<\/a> that Senator Skelos, a Republican from Long Island, was accused of taking official actions to benefit a small Arizona environmental company, AbTech Industries, and a large New York developer, Glenwood Management, that had financial ties to AbTech. Senator Skelos agreed to do so, according to the complaint, as long as the companies paid his son.<\/p>\n

This corruption investigation that has cast a renewed spotlight on Albany\u2019s intractable corruption problem, the New York Times stated.<\/p>\n

New York Times Posted<\/a> Document: Criminal Complaint Against Dean Skelos and Adam Skelos<\/p>\n

The arrests came just months after federal bribery and kickback charges led Assemblyman Sheldon Silver, a Democrat, to step down from his position as speaker, the New York Times stated in its report.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the Complaint charges, in six counts, Dean Skelos unlawfully used his power and influence as Senate Majority Leader, repeatedly, to illegally enrich his son, Adam, and indirectly, himself,” \u00a0said \u00a0U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara.<\/strong> “And, more specifically, the Complaint, in multiple places, alleges that Dean Skelos\u2019s support for certain infrastructure projects and legislation was often based, not on what was good for his constituents or good for New York, but rather on what was good for his son\u2019s bank account.<\/p>\n

Adding, “By now, two things should be abundantly clear. First, public corruption is a deep-seated problem in New York State. It is a problem in both chambers; it is a problem on both sides of the aisle. And second, we are deadly serious about tackling that problem.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n