Probers slog thru pile of paper in Council's cash-stash fiasco
BY FRANK LOMBARDI and GREG B. SMITH
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Friday, April 18th 2008, 4:00 AM
Department of Investigation probers are poring through thousands of documents bearing the names of politicians, dollar amounts and a roster of nonprofit groups - some real, some not.
They are looking for crimes and trying to track the millions of taxpayer dollars the City Council spends on pet projects through so-called "discretionary funds."
Nailing down exactly how much and where it went won't be simple.
This year $47.4 million went to Council discretionary funds, with Speaker Christine Quinn controlling $21 million and the rest split up among rank-and-file members.
Other untold millions are buried in another $313 million budgeted by the Council.
Quinn controls how that money is spent on supposed "new initiatives" and "restorations," but individual members or borough delegations often get to share in passing it on to favored groups and take credit for it in their districts.
Possible abuse of discretionary funds is at the heart of the ongoing probe by DOI and the Manhattan U.S. attorney's office, whose investigators have discovered a shocking example of alleged fiscal trickery used to hide and obfuscate.
They uncovered the Council's secret method of parking discretionary funds in fictional nonprofits to distribute later.
That practice, they say, dates back at least to 2003, implicating Quinn and her predecessor, Gifford Miller.
Already the investigation has paid off.
This week two aides to Council member Kendall Stewart (D-Brooklyn) were charged with embezzling $145,000 from a nonprofit funded with discretionary funds, $14,000 of which came from fictional nonprofits.
Stewart, who funneled more than $356,000 into the group, has not been charged and denies wrongdoing.
In announcing the charges, U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia said because of the lack of transparency in the budget process, "discretionary funds are ripe for abuse."
He also made clear the investigation is continuing, and evidence that other Council members put money into nonprofits with whom they have ties has already surfaced.
The Daily News reported Thursday that Council member Maria del Carmen Arroyo sponsored $82,000 for a nonprofit that employed her sister and nephew.
Her mother, Assemblywoman Carmen Arroyo, funneled another $141,000 in state funds into the same group.
Until this year, it was impossible to know who was sponsoring expenses. Quinn changed that, for the first time connecting Council members to their discretionary spending.
In some cases, members sponsor items by themselves, while in most they team up with colleagues to co-sponsor. In some cases, entire borough delegations put forth discretionary items.
All Council members are alloted the same amount for some items: $151,700 for youth groups; $108,750 for senior citizen groups.
The speaker distributes the rest for "additional needs," which is why senior members and those close to the speaker fare better than newcomers and those from other parties.
An analysis of $36 million of the member items - those released and itemized by the Council in the fall - shows Finance Chairman David Weprin (D-Queens) co-sponsored or sponsored more items than anyone else - 194 items worth $16.8 million. He boasted that he liked to get his name attached to as many groups as possible.
He was followed closely by Lewis Fidler (D-Brooklyn) with 149 items worth $10 million.
Each year, when the Council approves the city budget, it also approves a document called Schedule C - a list of several thousand nonprofit groups allocated pork funds.
Council members eagerly scoop up Schedule C as if it were a new Harry Potter novel. They peek inside to make sure their groups are funded.
One councilwoman famously griped during the 2006 budget vote, "There is so much pork you can almost hear it oink."
Here's a partial list of "discretionary funds" itemized by city council member. Total amount tabulated is $36 million in the fiscal 2008. There are two categories: Total member items both sponsored and co-sponsored by council member, and "solo" member items (sole sponsorship) by council member. Both have accompanying dollar figures.NAME | DISTRICT | BOROUGH | POLITICAL PARTY | number of items | amount | solo | amount |
Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. | 32 | Queens | Democrat | 47 | $3,440,464 | 20 | $122,357 |
Tony Avella | 19 | Queens | Democrat | 36 | $2,804,157 | 9 | $67,607 |
Maria del Carmen Arroyo | 17 | Bronx | Democrat | 50 | $2,038,124 | 19 | $239,187 |
Charles Barron | 42 | Brooklyn | Democrat | 59 | $3,166,714 | 31 | $130,964 |
Maria Baez | 14 | Bronx | Democrat | 31 | $1,331,794 | 13 | $122,187 |
Bill de Blasio | 39 | Brooklyn | Democrat | 93 | $8,024,589 | 20 | $176,000 |
Gale A. Brewer | 6 | Manhattan | Democrat | 76 | $5,635,120 | 22 | $158,500 |
Leroy G. Comrie, Jr. | 27 | Queens | Democrat | 138 | $5,799,464 | 80 | $710,857 |
Inez E. Dickens | 9 | Manhattan | Democrat | 118 | $4,523,387 | 68 | $588,200 |
Erik Martin Dilan | 37 | Brooklyn | Democrat | 53 | $3,944,339 | 19 | $280,000 |
Mathieu Eugene | 40 | Brooklyn | Democrat | 47 | $3,724,750 | 10 | $46,500 |
Simcha Felder | 44 | Brooklyn | Democrat | 70 | $4,512,500 | 21 | $103,500 |
Lewis A. Fidler | 46 | Brooklyn | Democrat | 149 | $10,081,407 | 41 | $702,625 |
Helen D. Foster | 16 | Bronx | Democrat | 18 | $1,460,437 | 1 | $102,187 |
Dennis P. Gallagher | 30 | Queens | Republican | 71 | $2,575,857 | 40 | $299,857 |
Daniel R. Garodnick | 4 | Manhattan | Democrat | 60 | $4,796,227 | 12 | $119,500 |
James F. Gennaro | 24 | Queens | Democrat | 64 | $4,333,071 | 14 | $102,000 |
Vincent J. Gentile | 43 | Brooklyn | Democrat | 113 | $3,710,750 | 60 | $156,500 |
Alan J. Gerson | 1 | Manhattan | Democrat | 52 | $4,745,477 | 12 | $63,000 |
Eric N. Gioia | 26 | Queens | Democrat | 77 | $7,092,464 | 18 | $115,000 |
Sara M. Gonzalez | 38 | Brooklyn | Democrat | 36 | $3,329,250 | 5 | $160,000 |
Vincent Ignizio | 51 | Staten Island | Republican | 21 | $620,000 | 12 | $92,500 |
Robert Jackson | 7 | Manhattan | Democrat | 96 | $4,816,727 | 43 | $337,250 |
Letitia James | 35 | Brooklyn | Working Families | 84 | $4,729,607 | 34 | $232,500 |
Melinda R. Katz | 29 | Queens | Democrat | 67 | $4,193,835 | 20 | $85,907 |
G. Oliver Koppell | 11 | Bronx | Democrat | 33 | $1,533,937 | 14 | $187,187 |
Jessica S. Lappin | 5 | Manhattan | Democrat | 58 | $5,081,727 | 14 | $86,500 |
John C. Liu | 20 | Queens | Democrat | 43 | $2,990,857 | 13 | $105,500 |
Melissa Mark-Viverito | 8 | Manhattan | Democrat | 53 | $3,942,481 | 12 | $174,000 |
Miguel Martinez | 10 | Manhattan | Democrat | 45 | $4,055,477 | 4 | $195,000 |
Michael E. McMahon | 49 | Staten Island | Democrat | 104 | $2,022,157 | 72 | $661,000 |
Darlene Mealy | 41 | Brooklyn | Democrat | 43 | $3,178,250 | 11 | $59,000 |
Rosie Mendez | 2 | Manhattan | Democrat | 87 | $5,954,733 | 25 | $118,700 |
Hiram Monserrate | 21 | Queens | Democrat | 29 | $2,126,857 | 6 | $67,000 |
Michael C. Nelson | 48 | Brooklyn | Democrat | 81 | $5,133,750 | 25 | $217,500 |
James S. Oddo | 50 | Staten Island | Republican | 90 | $1,228,000 | 57 | $274,500 |
Annabel Palma | 18 | Bronx | Democrat | 33 | $1,936,437 | 8 | $285,000 |
Christine C. Quinn | 3 | Manhattan | Democrat | 153 | $8,155,061 | 60 | $423,500 |
Domenic M. Recchia, Jr. | 47 | Brooklyn | Democrat | 91 | $5,543,607 | 27 | $314,500 |
Joel Rivera | 15 | Bronx | Democrat | 68 | $3,394,244 | 33 | $321,337 |
James Sanders, Jr. | 31 | Queens | Democrat | 24 | $2,168,857.00 | 3 | $86,000 |
Larry B. Seabrook | 12 | Bronx | Democrat | 25 | $1,314,538 | 10 | $238,431 |
Helen Sears | 25 | Queens | Democrat | 64 | $4,001,371 | 17 | $93,000 |
Kendall Stewart | 45 | Brooklyn | Democrat | 52 | $3,707,607 | 17 | $140,000 |
James Vacca | 13 | Bronx | Democrat | 32 | $1,683,981 | 12 | $155,187 |
Peter F. Vallone, Jr. | 22 | Queens | Democrat | 76 | $3,223,071 | 48 | $632,357 |
Albert Vann | 36 | Brooklyn | Democrat | 57 | $3,242,937 | 26 | $118,000 |
David I. Weprin | 23 | Queens | Democrat | 194 | $16,853,128 | 31 | $736,500 |
Thomas White, Jr. | 28 | Queens | Democrat | 33 | $2,480,107 | 8 | $132,857 |
David Yassky | 33 | Brooklyn | Democrat | 84 | $8,199,357 | 29 | $285,000 |
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