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The FBI raided the offices of State Assemblyman Brian McLaughlin, suspecting him of helping electrical contractors to win city streetlight and traffic-signal bids. McLaughlin represents a part of Queens in the State Assembly and is also the president of the NYC Central Labor Council (that West 15th Street was also raided), and has been a supporter of Mayor Bloomberg. Right now, two electric companies have about $162 million of city contracts for street lights with the Department of Transportation. There is suspicion that McLaughlin received an American Express card from a contractor, as well as a home security system, so the feds took anything that could be a paper trail.
The NY Times calls him "one of the most powerful union leaders in the city," with the CLC's million-plus members. McLaughlin said he wouldn't run for reelection as Assemblyman earlier this year (though he had floated the idea of running for Mayor), and AM New York has a breakdown of his salary: $79,500 from the Assembly, $95,000 from the CLC.
Photograph of man taking papers from the Central Labor Council office from Azi Paybarah for The Politicker
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I can't say I'm surprised. Corruption has been part of NYC culture, even though Rudy made a good effort of trying to eradicate it. Labour unions, mob and one-party rule is a horrible combination. Even the judges are corrupt (Brooklyn democratic party was caught last year but it was just the tip of the iceberg).
NYC cannot ever solve this problem on its own. Hopefully, one day federal involvement solves this, juts like in Chicago in Al Capone's days.