Think the Pension system in New York is NOT a problem? Just look at this quote by Attorney General Cuomo…. “Death by a thousand cuts”, “Little scams”, “Chronic widespread corruption and fraud. And in the end, the taxpayers bleed millions of dollars.”
For those of you that continually come out and defend the inept governments of this state, for those of you that just love to personally attack people like us for calling it like we see it, just read, it is just like we have been saying for years, time to open your eyes, take off the blindfolds and go after this crap. It is time to tear down these governments that rot from the head down and take back control. Remember, WE PAY FOR ALL OF IT!
“In many ways, this situation is the public integrity version of death by a thousand cuts,” Cuomo said. “Ten thousand governments. Little scams. Chronic widespread corruption and fraud. And in the end, the taxpayers bleed millions of dollars.”
Pension Probe Will Snare ‘Hundreds’ of Attorneys, N.Y. Attorney General Predicts
New York Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo predicted Thursday that “hundreds and hundreds” of attorneys will ultimately be implicated in his office’s investigation of government entities improperly enrolling non-employees in public pension funds.
While his investigators have only exposed the “tip of the iceberg” so far, Cuomo said the problem is not limited to a few school districts on Long Island which were initially exposed for having put attorneys doing work for the districts on the public pension rolls.
Cuomo said the problem is also evident at BOCES school districts, “special” districts like sewer or water districts and towns and villages.
“In many ways, this situation is the public integrity version of death by a thousand cuts,” Cuomo said. “Ten thousand governments. Little scams. Chronic widespread corruption and fraud. And in the end, the taxpayers bleed millions of dollars.”
While “there will be people beyond lawyers” found to be receiving improper public pension benefits, “the predominant class will be lawyers,” Cuomo said.
Cuomo announced settlements of $50,000 each Thursday between his office and the Hodgson Russ law firm in Buffalo and with Albany attorney Maureen Harris. Harris, a 2006 appointee to the state Public Service Commission by then-Gov. George Pataki, was formerly with Girvin & Ferlazzo, an Albany firm Cuomo said he is investigating its relationship with the Hamilton-Fulton-Montgomery BOCES.
Ellen Biben, special deputy attorney general for public integrity, said Thursday that Harris went on the Hamilton-Fulton-Montgomery BOCES payroll in 2005 as a $30,000-a-year labor relations specialist. However, she provided no such services in 2005 or 2006, when she left Girvin & Ferlazzo and the BOCES payroll, Biben said.
Harris agreed in her settlement with Cuomo’s office to forfeit pension credits she earned for being an employee of the BOCES district.
Biben said Harris was one of at least 12 Girvin & Ferlazzo attorneys appearing on the Hamilton-Fulton-Montgomery BOCES payroll between 1991 and 2008. She contended that the firm, paid more than $200,000 a year by the BOCES district, paid some attorneys with that money regardless of whether they did work for the district.
“The Girvin firm was given the discretion to determine how many and which Girvin lawyers would be placed on the BOCES payroll and set the salary that each lawyer would receive regardless of whether that lawyer was doing any work for the BOCES,” Biden said. “Indeed, to the Girvin firm, participation in the New York state pension system was a perk of partnership instead of the benefit earned from actual state employment.”
Cuomo said a criminal and civil investigation by his office is continuing against Girvin & Ferlazzo and that the settlement announced Thursday was only with Harris.
Her attorney, Michael L. Koenig, said Harris regarded the pension credits she received as a firm benefit for partners at Girvin & Ferlazzo “pursuant to a longstanding relationship her firm had with BOCES.”
Nice article. I just happened to come acrossed it. It peaked my interest.