Posted on 05/10/2008 1:30:24 AM PDT by neverdem
ALBANY — Hundreds of lawyers across the state have been illegally granted state pension benefits by school districts, towns and other governmental entities, according to Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo, who has opened an investigation into the abuses.
The problems stretch back decades and may have cost the state millions of dollars in pension payments, Mr. Cuomo said at a news conference on Thursday, where he announced settlements involving lawyers at firms in Buffalo and Albany.
Many of the cases involve politically connected lawyers who work as independent contractors for regional school districts but are classified by the regional officials as public employees, which allows them to earn health benefits or become eligible for a state pension. In turn, the boards were able to collect more state financing.
Over the years, Mr. Cuomo said, the benefits have become a standard and expected perk for the lawyers, who often have political ties to the officials handing out the benefit. The system has proliferated, Mr. Cuomo suggested, because of New York’s profusion of state, county and local governments.
“There are political connections on every level,” Mr. Cuomo said, who added that his investigation might lead to criminal charges. “You’ll see state connections between high level state officials, with county connections, village connections. It is a form of low-level political patronage governmental fraud.”
His office announced settlements Thursday with lawyers at Girvin & Ferlazzo, an Albany firm, and Hodgson Russ, a Buffalo-based firm.
According to Mr. Cuomo’s office, for almost 20 years lawyers at Girvin & Ferlazzo and two predecessor firms have been granted status as public employees by the Hamilton-Fulton-Montgomery Board of Cooperative Educational Services, which serves school districts in three upstate counties..
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Can’t put one over on ole Anj. He thinks the Governor’s office is his for the taking in 2010. Just gotta get that pesky, blind Black dude with the wandering johnson out of the way, right ?
BLOOMBERG OUTRAGE: ASKS JUDGE TO BAN 2ND AMENDMENT REFERENCES!
FReepmail me if you want on or off my New York ping list.
Hmm. Dishonest lawyers ? I never heard of such a thing !!! :-)
Gotta love it when a states top attorney only ever practiced law for a few months, and that, 20 years ago.
Lawyers be crooks, that would be like calling elected officals crooks.
What is this world coming to anyway?
My whole day is now ruined.
O wait, never mind, it was only a dream - right?
Lawyers + public education + New York = Crime
Lawyers - public education + New York = Crime
Lawyers - public education - New York = Crime
New York - Lawyers + public education = Crime
However change it about the answer is the same.
My sister lives in Nassau County in New York. She pays over $20K a year in property taxes. She lives in a great school district. Lawyers out there sit on serveral different schools boards and are eligible to collect pensions from each. No wonder her property taxes are so high.
Pension Probe Will Snare ‘Hundreds’ of Attorneys, N.Y. Attorney General Predicts
I posted these comments in my blog for the lefties in my area......
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.”
Thanks for your link.
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