The federal complaint from U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara's office unsealed Monday details how a top Glenwood Management executive allegedly became one of the main cooperating witnesses against Republican Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos in exchange for a non-prosecution agreement.
Though unnamed in the complaint, the Times Union confirmed that the executive is Charles Dorego, the right-hand man to Glenwood's 100-year-old principal, Leonard Litwin. Dorego's attorney declined comment Monday.
Glenwood's payments to another top lawmaker, former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, played a major role in this year's other major ethics scandal. As lawmakers deal with the renewal of rent laws and real estate tax breaks in the waning days of this year's legislative session, they may feel pressure to distance themselves from the powerful firm.
The Cuomo connection:
Glenwood is Gov. Andrew Cuomo's biggest campaign donor and a major part of two politically generous landlord groups, the Rent Stabilization Association and the Real Estate Board of New York.
In 2013, former top Cuomo aide Larry Schwartz reportedly tried to stop a subpoena from the Moreland Commission, an investigative panel convened by Cuomo, for information about REBNY's political giving and a valuable tax break related to new housing. REBNY eventually provided the information voluntarily.
After Cuomo shut down Moreland in 2014, Bharara's office picked up many of its investigations — while also probing potential Cuomo administration interference and the circumstances surrounding the panel's demise in March 2014.
REBNY was also among the biggest players in the Committee to Save New York, a nonprofit that spent millions early in Cuomo's tenure to push through his legislative agenda.
It will be interesting to see if Bharara and the feds picked up the REBNY/Glenwood/Cuomo investigation that Moreland couldn't complete.
Glenwood has now showed up in both the Silver and the Skelos cases.
Glenwood is Cuomo's biggest campaign donor.
He made sure the connection between REBNY and his campaign could not be investigated by the Moreland Commission.
He shut down the Committee To Save New York before he had to reveal who the donors were.
I can't imagine he is taking such pains to keep this stuff secret without there being a real need to keep it secret.
What other secrets will the feds learn from Dorego, the cooperating witness from Glenwood?
Great observation, "I can't imagine he (Quid Pro Quomo) is taking such pains to keep this stuff secret without there being a real need to a keep it secret!"
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