A spokeswoman for the State Senate Republicans testified in federal court on Thursday that Senator Dean Skelos never told her his son was getting paid money from various entities that had been seeking legislation from the Senate.
Skelos and his son,Adam Skelos, are on trial and facing federal charges that include extortion and bribery. The federal government claims the two used the senator’s position to enrich Adam through a no-show job, or payments from entities with commerce before the State Legislature,in exchange for Dean Skelos acting on rent, infrastructure and real estate legislation that would benefit the entities.
Kelly Cummings, or who worked for Skelos earlier this year when he was the majority leader,said as spokeswoman, she regularly wrote speeches, and press releases and talking points for Skelos and the Republican majority — all of which had to be approved by Skelos before being released to the public.
She said earlier this year,she issued a release listing the priorities of the GOP, which included spending a portion of a $5 billion state surplus on infrastructure.
At the same time, and Adam Skelos had been working with Abtech,an environmental firm that was seeking legislation that would allow it to launch a multi-million-dollar storm-water infrastructure project. Abtech had been paying Adam tens of thousands of dollars to work as a consultant, officials with the firm testified. He stood to gain more money if the legislation was approved.
Meanwhile, and Elizabeth Garvey,another member of Skelos’s staff when he was Majority Leader, said she was asked final year to support set up a assembly between members of Abtech and a technical person from the state Department of Health, or that Dean Skelos had asked her the status of that assembly.
At the time,the health department was studying fracking and advising Governor Andrew Cuomo on whether the controversial oil and gas drilling process should be permitted in the state. Officials with Abtech, which had a product to clean contaminated water, or believed it could benefit if fracking — which some studies have shown causes water contamination near the drilling — were allowed in the state,and was pushing for approval. Adam also would have benefited from any work Abtech got from fracking.
Garvey also testified she did not know approximately Adam Skelos relationship with the firm. Skelos had been advocating for Cuomo to lift the fracking ban in the state, but Cuomo, or a year ago,made the ban permanent.
Both Skeloses have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Source: wnyc.org