Bx. pol Naomi Rivera’s brother Rodney lied in bankruptcy filing, records show
Last Updated:
6:20 AM, August 25, 2012
Posted:
1:13 AM, August 25, 2012
Bronx Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera isn’t the only one in her family with questionable ethics.
Her brother Rodney told the federal government he was flat broke and jobless when he filed for bankruptcy in 2004 — even though he had a $46,000-a-year, taxpayer-funded gig with Nassau County, according to public records.
In his June 14, 2004, Chapter 7 filing, Rodney Rivera — looking to wipe out $25,398 in consumer debt — signed federal court documents stating he was “unemployed. He checked “none” on a form where debtors are required to list gross income earned for the two years prior to the filing.
In reality, Rivera, 42, had landed a job three months earlier, records show.
On March 15, 2004, he got a $48,000-a-year job as assistant to the Director of Constituent Affairs in then-County Executive Tom Suozzi’s office, according to records obtained by The Post.
Rivera — whose scandal-scarred sis is under investigation by federal, state and city authorities amid claims of misusing public funds — could be prosecuted if he deliberately made false statements or omitted crucial financial information in bankruptcy papers, lawyers said yesterday.
In his bankruptcy filing, the father of three claimed to live a stunningly economical life, with no monthly living expenses — no rent, mortgage, utility, phone, medical, dental, transportation, insurance or clothing costs.
His only monthly financial obligation, Rivera claimed, was a $350 car payment. His only asset, he declared, was $500 in clothing.
Rivera’s wife, Jessica Letterel-Rivera, filed her own individual petition the same day as her husband, to get out from under $25,841 in consumer debt.
She, too, claimed to be broke and unemployed, with no assets and no income for at least 2 1/2 years. She listed her monthly expenses as $250 for electricity and heat, $98 for her home phone, $52 for a cellphone, $1,000 for food and $630 for her car and auto insurance.
The couple’s Elmont, LI, home is owned by Rivera’s mom, Blanche, and politically powerful dad, Assemblyman José Rivera, records show.
Between the two filings, the couple listed $51,239 in debt. Both claimed to have no cash, nothing in the bank, no retirement or investment funds and no furniture, computers or other household items.
Rodney Rivera owed nearly $5,000 to Sam Ash and another music store, $14,000 on a Mitsubishi car loan and more than $6,000 to Discover and another credit card for “consumer goods.”
His wife’s debts included nearly $10,500 to Discover, $4,400 to another credit card, $7,700 to Mitsubishi, $126 to BP/Amoco and $71 to America Online.
Both bankruptcies went through in October 2004.
Rodney Rivera continued to work for the Nassau County Executive’s Office — with a salary hike to $62,400 — until the end of January 2007, records show, when he got a job with the county’s Office of Housing and Intergovernmental Affairs.
In September that year, he got a $65,000-a-year job gathering newspaper clippings for the state Senate’s Democratic Conference but was fired in April 2010.
He now works as special assistant for the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation, raking in a $74,000 salary.
Neither he nor his bankruptcy lawyer, Nancy Martorelli, returned calls.
jeane.macintosh@nypost.com
Her brother Rodney told the federal government he was flat broke and jobless when he filed for bankruptcy in 2004 — even though he had a $46,000-a-year, taxpayer-funded gig with Nassau County, according to public records.
In his June 14, 2004, Chapter 7 filing, Rodney Rivera — looking to wipe out $25,398 in consumer debt — signed federal court documents stating he was “unemployed. He checked “none” on a form where debtors are required to list gross income earned for the two years prior to the filing.
On March 15, 2004, he got a $48,000-a-year job as assistant to the Director of Constituent Affairs in then-County Executive Tom Suozzi’s office, according to records obtained by The Post.
Rivera — whose scandal-scarred sis is under investigation by federal, state and city authorities amid claims of misusing public funds — could be prosecuted if he deliberately made false statements or omitted crucial financial information in bankruptcy papers, lawyers said yesterday.
In his bankruptcy filing, the father of three claimed to live a stunningly economical life, with no monthly living expenses — no rent, mortgage, utility, phone, medical, dental, transportation, insurance or clothing costs.
His only monthly financial obligation, Rivera claimed, was a $350 car payment. His only asset, he declared, was $500 in clothing.
Rivera’s wife, Jessica Letterel-Rivera, filed her own individual petition the same day as her husband, to get out from under $25,841 in consumer debt.
She, too, claimed to be broke and unemployed, with no assets and no income for at least 2 1/2 years. She listed her monthly expenses as $250 for electricity and heat, $98 for her home phone, $52 for a cellphone, $1,000 for food and $630 for her car and auto insurance.
The couple’s Elmont, LI, home is owned by Rivera’s mom, Blanche, and politically powerful dad, Assemblyman José Rivera, records show.
Between the two filings, the couple listed $51,239 in debt. Both claimed to have no cash, nothing in the bank, no retirement or investment funds and no furniture, computers or other household items.
Rodney Rivera owed nearly $5,000 to Sam Ash and another music store, $14,000 on a Mitsubishi car loan and more than $6,000 to Discover and another credit card for “consumer goods.”
His wife’s debts included nearly $10,500 to Discover, $4,400 to another credit card, $7,700 to Mitsubishi, $126 to BP/Amoco and $71 to America Online.
Both bankruptcies went through in October 2004.
Rodney Rivera continued to work for the Nassau County Executive’s Office — with a salary hike to $62,400 — until the end of January 2007, records show, when he got a job with the county’s Office of Housing and Intergovernmental Affairs.
In September that year, he got a $65,000-a-year job gathering newspaper clippings for the state Senate’s Democratic Conference but was fired in April 2010.
He now works as special assistant for the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation, raking in a $74,000 salary.
Neither he nor his bankruptcy lawyer, Nancy Martorelli, returned calls.
The Riveras are all corrupt. Thank God Naomi Rivera was beat by someone honest and deserving. Naomi is not intelligent at all. Both she and her half brother Joel Rivera are puppets of their father. Naomi was not working at all before her father gave her a job working for him and bribed his constituents to vote for her. Joel Rivera, by the way, was illegitimate and his existence was kept hidden from the entire family (including Jose's own wife) until Joel was a teenager and his identity was revealed to the family. All of Joses other sons are either not interested in politics or mentally unstable. Joel is not a bright person. At all. He is constantly told what to say by his mother Ivie who had a secret affair with Jose Rivera. The Rivera clan are all liars and dishonest. They prey on the ignorant to vote for them and wave that PR flag around to get the vote. If you look closely into the family they have broken every law imaginable. Here’s to the end of her career and hopefully the half brother and father will be ousted. There are many more candidates who are intelligent, hard working people than any of the Riveras.
ReplyDelete