(man, is that a New Yorker or what?)
Posted on 03/16/2005 5:03:13 AM PST by Liz
Village Voice---Diminished Capacity---by Tom Robbins---June 4-10, 2003
It may have been the easiest raise ever won in city government. Approximately every two weeks in 2001, someone with access to the computerized payroll system at the city's Housing Development Corporation typed in a new, higher figure for Russell Harding's paycheck, a federal investigator said in an affidavit compiled last year.
"The effect of this periodic manual override," wrote Marcus Castro, a senior special agent with the United States Customs Service, "was to cause the [agency's] payroll company to issue paychecks to Harding in amounts approximately 10 percent greater than he would have received based upon his approved salary."
Harding, the son of Liberal Party chief Raymond Harding, was appointed president of the corporation in 1998 by then mayor Rudy Giuliani, who said he'd bring "exceptional skill" to the job. By 2001, Harding's official salary was $162,780, but records show he inexplicably received $27,000 extra.
The computer manipulation was just one of several schemes revealed in the affidavit, which was prepared last May in support of a search warrant for Harding's East Side apartment that was placed in court records for the first time last week. Among them:
• Just before resigning from the agency in February 2002, Harding awarded himself a $60,000 bonus—a windfall that was never approved by the corporation's board of directors, investigators determined. The money was part of a mystery $128,000 check received by Harding that was disclosed by the Voice last year. At the time, officials refused to explain it, citing the investigation. But the affidavit reveals that the check included the bonus plus $68,000 in "unused annual leave." This was another no-effort scam: Someone electronically "increased the amount of annual leave accrued by Russell Harding from four weeks per year to eight weeks per year," the affidavit states.
• After the Voice requested Harding's travel and expense records under the Freedom of Information Law, Harding allegedly ordered his secretary to stop logging all such data in her computer. Instead, Post-Its were used and then shredded at the end of each day.
• In the two weeks before he resigned his position, Harding (apparently unaware of city rules governing document retention) "directed and supervised the shredding of almost all records maintained in his administration, including . . . his schedule, travel and appointments."
• In the same frantic last days, Harding had agency computer technicians "delete information from [his office] computer in such a fashion as to render the information permanently unrecoverable."
• Not taking any chances, on his final day in office, Harding allegedly "directly and personally supervised the reformatting of his computer." It worked. Investigators said they were unable to retrieve "most of the relevant information that had been stored on his computer."
Harding, 38, now faces a maximum of 45 years in federal prison, stemming from four counts of fraud for allegedly stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the agency and two more counts involving child pornography reputedly found on his home computer. He has pleaded innocent. His explanation, as the Daily News' Robert Gearty reported last week, is this: He never meant to do it.
"[Harding] intends to introduce expert testimony in support of a defense of diminished capacity and/or mental disease or defect and/or incapacity to form specific intent as to the offenses listed as Counts One through Four of the Indictment," wrote Harding's able defense attorney, Gerald Shargel, in court papers attached to motions filed last week.
Whatever Harding's malady, it didn't affect his high-tech interests. According to the affidavit, after Harding resigned, the agency was missing $30,000 worth of electronic equipment, including a 21-inch NEC computer monitor that cost $4,525, four Palm Pilots worth $2,200, three laptops, a $3,200 Compaq desktop computer, and a $920 Blackberry organizer. Some of those gizmos were recovered from Harding's apartment, prosecutors charge. --SNIP--
If Rudy didn't know about the scope and dimension of Harding's criminal activities, he's incompetent.
If he knew and ignored it, Rudy should be indicted as well since he is just as guilty for allowing it to go on and on and on.
Just before resigning from the agency in February 2002, Harding awarded himself a $60,000 bonus—a windfall that was never approved by the corporation's board of directors, investigators determined. Wasn't Bloomberg Mayor 2002? What is your point please. Is Rudy involved? Is that indicated anywhere?
Butner, SC is where the federal prison system has its mental hospital for inmates. I was not following this case until now, but I assume that, when Harding said he was going to plead not guilty by reason of insanity, he was ordered to Butner so the Government could do a psychiatric examination.
Doesn't this article indicate that it started in 2001. I don't mean to sound flip, but I think Rudy was very busy that year. Rudy also started a senate run and had cancer at that time. Rudy's term also then ended. Rudy was not responsible for this pig, Harding's crimes. Why are you pinning it on Rudy. You must despise him.
(man, is that a New Yorker or what?)
You already had answered. I didn't see this post before I asked your thoughts. I fear she could win again too. I want her to lose so bad. I will be sick if she wins again. I wish they didn't run Lazio. That was an awful mistake. .
Heheh.......a great caption this pic.
Creepo's looking down with a mysterious grin ------ cute little boy musta caught this pervert's eye.
They oughta check Shelly's phone to see if he's been dialing Mandy's Male Fantasy Hotline---now that his aide Boxley is not there to regale Shelly with his personal drug-'em-and-rape-'em sex tales.
"I guess, but he looks sad," Sawyers replied.
"Who cares what he looks like, emotionwise," Harding answered.
Hang him from a lamppost with piano wire.
That must be done, we are taking on 8 in erie county and 5 in niagara county.
The primary is the place to beat these jokers..(i'm being kind.)
between this, Delay's issues and ("R")judges in CA coming down in favor of gay marriage...makes me wonder why the GOP
is turning their "big tent" into a side show traveling
circus complete with freaks.
OK by me.
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