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The party's over for employees at the State Liquor Authority office in Harlem. This morning investigators raided the office on orders from the state Inspector General. According to WCBS 880, all 24 employees at the licensing bureau were questioned about an alleged bribery scheme! Deputy Inspector General Kelly Donovan says, "We believe employees are fast-tracking liquor licenses in exchange for gratuities, at the expense of legitimate applicants." No arrests were made today, but the investigation has been ongoing for over a year, and was sparked by complaints that some liquor license applicants wait more than eight months while others get licenses in 11 days, thanks to good old Mr. Bribe. Besides handling license applications for NYC and Long Island, the Harlem office regulates 65% of roughly 70,000 operating licenses and permits statewide. And if true, this won't be the first whiff of SLA corruption; you'll recall that last winter an aide to Governor Paterson resigned amidst allegations that he successfully influenced two SLA commissioners to go easy on Cipriani. [Via Eater]
State Liquor Authority Investigated for Corruption
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Let's keep growing government. Underhanded deals and simming off the top for all!
Yeah, and private industry is always conducted with the highest level of ethics! And they are always held accountable!
Actually, yes. Because they eventually go out of business. Enron, AIG, WorldCom, any other company that had bad practices...
Meanwhile, government---and those departments---will probably keep growing in size.
Fraud and corruption will always exist for the rest of mankind despite the best laid plans of regulators. However, only with private industry do these companies fade away like they should.
That is unless Bush/Paulson/Obama/Geithner want to channel Mussolini and bailout Wall Street.
Riiiight. Keep drinking that koolaid.
The sad part is that Bottomless Chips is right, and provided some examples. All you have is a sarcastic response.
His examples are laughable. In the Enron example, thousands of workers lost their jobs and their retirement benefits, investors lost their stakes, while millions of dollars were made over the course of the scam. Skilling and Lay were tried as sacrificial lambs, along with a handful of others. Big fucking deal. Hundreds of others involved laughed their way to the bank. I won't address the other "examples" because they equally stupid. The fact is, private business is deeply corrupt, and with big money comes big lawyers who almost always get their clients off the hook.
In this case, the corruption at the SLA was more or less victimless, other than the fact that many legit businesses suffered as a result of having to wait inordinate amounts of time for their licenses. But, THEY WERE CAUGHT. The offenders were fired, and will be punished. They are now under scrutiny and the process is being cleaned up. Which proves that the system works as long as people pay attention. With corrupt business, you are almost always guaranteed of being screwed. They keep their money in offshore accounts, hide themselves with shell corporations, and for every Bernie Madoff, Kenneth Lay, etc, there are hundreds of other who get away with murder, at the expense of their employees and investors, should anyone ever notice their subterfuge.
When the cat is away, the rats will play.
What a surprise! Bribes at the liquor authority. Citizens need to understand that so much of state government exists to perpetuate government, not improve the lot of the taxpayer. Considering these agencies are not responsive to the will of the voter, we must hold their leaders (our elected officials) responsible and throw the bums out!
Considering the ties between the SLA and local corrupt community boards, this is far from surprising. Hmm, I wonder if anyone on CB2 or CB3 will also go down with the ship??
Hi, Can't you read?
The bribes were being given by Liquor License lawyers to staff employees, not community board members, who in fact were responsible for getting the former SLA commissioners fired for corruption in 2004.
Rumor has it that the new commissioner, Dan Boyle, former Police Dept. corruption investigator, whom the CBs worked to get installed, replacing the former corrupt Commissioners who in fact took bribes from the corrupt liquor-license lawyers, was responsible for this recent corruption investigation.
Several liquor-license lawyers and your other little friends in the Nightlife Industry are likely to go down along with these staffers. Maybe you? Not soon enough. LOL!
I believe government corruption is the modern equivalent treason and should carry an extremely harsh sentence. Anyone agree or am I turning into a hater?
Agreed. Needlesss to say however corrupt bastards and their cronies would label us as 'haters' for it.
Actually, the corruption was also perpetrated by private industry: the bar owners and their lawyers.
Don't just blame one side. Everyone involved has to answer.