Former Obama 'car czar' settles suit with state of New York (Rattner's $150 million kickback scheme)

Former Obama 'car czar' settles suit with state of New York
By Peter Schroeder - 12/30/10 02:46 PM ET

Former Obama administration "car czar" Steven Rattner has agreed to pay $10 million to settle a civil suit with the state of New York.

State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced the agreement Thursday, in which Rattner admitted no wrongdoing, The Associated Press reported. Cuomo will be sworn in as the state's governor on Saturday.

Rattner had been accused by Cuomo of participating in a kickback scheme that allowed his company to obtain $150 million in state pension fund investments in 2004 and 2005. Cuomo's office filed suit in November, initially seeking $26 million in fines and penalties, as well as a lifetime ban for Rattner from the securities industry. Rattner, who left the administration in the summer of 2009, denied the charges.

Rattner previously paid $6.2 million to the Securities and Exchange Commission to settle a separate lawsuit, and agreed to a two-year ban from the securities industry.

The former New York Times reporter headed the president's effort to restructure General Motors and Chrysler. GM underwent a new initial public offering of its stock in November, which exceeded analysts' expectations and earned the government $13.5 billion after it sold 411 million shares of the company's stock.

The government invested roughly $50 billion in the company last year, and about $23.1 billion has been paid back, according to the Treasury Department.

Here's a list of your headline embellishments for the past couple of weeks. You're the champ, by far.

(Rattner's $150 million kickback scheme)

('going green' sucks)

(Ahlam Mohsen will probably get more jail time than tax-cheat Charlie)

(Iowa permit does not require the weapon to be concealed)

(Krugman whimpers that RATS haven't confiscated everyone's loot - yet)

(enlists Nostrolitus Waxman)

(Colossal Barf Alert!!!!)

(never done before)

(Please help tax-cheat Charlie with your $5K donation)

(Illegal aliens on notice?)

(NY to eliminate two districts)

(ND pulls passports)

('Obamacare' too polarizing)

(and not one of the fake kind either)(by providing abortions)

(The left wipes out an entire species)

(Why not now?)

(The rookie Hussein doesn't know what to do)

(List of influential RATS too coincidental?)

(Bill *Clinton is in charge of this mess)

(Talk about an inconvenient truth)

(William looks like Algore - ACK!)

(half-million residents collect $4.7 billion in benefits)

($5,682 for government-leased Cadillac Escalade)

(wintry weather on right coast)

(Another Festivus Miracle!)

(Leftist moonbats sent mail bombs)

(Republicans can draft real health care reform)

(Corvette doing 195mph)

(government open into March - Hussein up at midnight)

($500,000 bond - faces 46 years in prison)

(Dizzy from the spin HURL!)

(Month by month tally of failure)

($6.2 billion NY slush fund RATS failed to pass)

(Black Caucus votes against it 38-3)

(Larry David feels guilty about his fortune)

(Fines, prison to be phased in)

(PFC Bradley Manning doesn't get a pillow)

(San Francisco has set aside $9.7 million to cover costs)

(Is the Evangelical Left Fizzling)

(plagued by 'utter turmoil')

(10 a.m. Tuesday)

(Where is Algore?)

(BREAKING NEWS to many - on SeeBS)

(Peace be upon her)

(Hussein swings?)

(the impeached *one ticks off Fidel and Cuba over Haiti)

(on-call psychiatrist)

(and why wouldn't it be?)

(Gov. RAT Perdue wants independent commission)

(unconstitutional - AGAIN?)

(How much more will the greedy Algore profit?)

(Blake Chisam - Zoe Lofgren RAT-CA trying to leave too?)

(6,600 - so far)

(Krugman can't understand how Big Gubmint is at fault for ANYTHING)

(RAT turned R then back to RAT)

(Florida judge to hear arguments Thursday)

(during World Cup - hopes for an "opening")

(RAT Shumlin wants single-payer system)

(42% - the rookie Hussen losing his leftist base)

(graffiti left behind condemns wealthy people)

('No Labels' meets in NYC)

RATTNER NOW WORKS FOR BLOOMBERG Ousted Obama “car czar” Steve Rattner is coughing up millions to settle two lawsuits WRT kickback schemes involving New York State’s public pension fund.

This is Dem (gag) justice at work. He was selling influence? "Influence Peddling" is a connected pols' bafflegab for all-out bribery. Bribery for an ordinary citizen in New York State is a Felony punishable by 1-10 years in jail.

He should have been arrested, done the perp walk, and prosecuted criminally. Instead, he "settles" with a fine and other no-sweat restrictions. Being connected is fun (gag). Wonder how much govt monies Rattner hid offshore, in tax havens?

==============================

BACKSTORY--Dem Hank Morris, who was a top political adviser to ousted Dem State Comptroller, Alan Hevesi, went on trial on charges that he used the pension fund as a personal piggy bank -- reaping millions of dollars as a middleman between the NY state pension fund and the investment companies. Morris may have pocketed as much as $19 million after squeezing massive brokerage fees out of equity and hedge funds that wanted a piece of the state's pension pot.

Those companies included the Quadrangle Group, run by Steven Rattner (later appointed, then ousted, as Obama-administration auto-industry czar). Morris was indicted March 2009 on 77 counts of enterprise corruption and other felonies after a two-year investigation (tried and found guilty).

Democrat Hevesi, alone, controlled the $125 billion pension funds until 2006, when he resigned after pleading guilty to using state workers to chauffeur his wife. Morris solicited campaign contributions for Hevesi's re-election campaign from those doing business with the pension fund (who were suspected of providing other benefits to Hevesi's sons, Andrew and Daniel).

Democrat Morris, top political consultant to ousted Dem state Comptroller Alan Hevesi, is affiliated with a slew of companies - including several using the address of his East Hampton home and one in the British Virgin Islands - that received pension-fund fees and were the subject of an investigation.

Democrat Morris listed the five firms on a report filed with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the largest nongovernmental regulator of US securities firms.

Four of the firms - Nosemote LLC, Pantigo Emerging LLC, PB Placement LLC and Purpose LLC - share Morris' East Hampton home address. Morris listed himself as the "sole member" of Nosemote, Pantigo Emerging and PB Placement, and said that Nosemote makes up half the members of Purpose.

For the fifth firm, Athena Capitol Advisors Ltd., which has an address in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, Morris lists himself as a 50% owner, vice president and treasurer.

According to Morris' filing, all the entities "act as intermediaries between money [managers] and institutional investors to facilitate introductions and resulting investments."

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.