Sources: Paterson Directed State Workers to Pressure Accuser

Governor Paterson personally ordered two state employees to contact a woman seeking an order of protection against his top aide, sources tell the Times. It was previously disclosed that Paterson had a little telephone chat with the woman, Sherr-una Booker, the day before she failed to appear for her third court appearance in the matter. But in today's installment in the Paterson nesting doll bombshell series, the Times reports that the governor's interference allegedly went beyond just a plausibly innocuous phone call, and now there's speculation that his actions may indeed be criminal.

Booker initially accused Paterson's longtime aide David Johnson of brutally assaulting her on Halloween after he saw the provocative costume she intended to wear to a party. She told police Booker choked her, threw her into a mirror, and took her and her friend's cell phones so they couldn't call 911. When it became clear that Booker intended to pursue legal action against Johnson, Paterson instructed his press secretary, Marissa Shorenstein, to ask the woman to publicly describe the episode as nonviolent, an anonymous source tells the Times.

Shornstein failed to reach Booker, but Paterson allegedly enlisted the help of another state employee who knew the woman. Deneane Brown, an employee of the Division of Housing and Community Renewal, called Booker on "more than one occasion" and arranged the phone call with the governor. Brown had also carried water to defend Johnson when the Times started looking into allegations that he punched another girlfriend in the face outside Paterson's Harlem office in 2001. Paterson’s chief of staff Woody Pascal "counseled" the woman, no charges were filed, and last month Brown told the Times, "To me, it was more of a lover’s spat."

The Attorney General's office is moving quickly with the investigation, and has already interviewed two senior officials at the State Police who may have also played a role in pressuring Booker to drop the court case. There's speculation that Paterson could conceivably face obstruction of justice charges; Daniel Richman, a Columbia University law professor and former federal prosecutor, tells Politico, "Although the issue of intent is always critical in obstruction cases, the Times story lays out a scenario that a prosecutor might well take a hard look at."

With four weeks left before the state needs a new budget, some Democracts, like State Senator Liz Krueger, have called on the governor to hand over the authority to negotiate the budget to Lt. Gov. Richard Ravitch. But others see a racial element at work here. "You do have to raise the question: Why hasn’t there been an outcry of this magnitude previously?" Senator Eric Adams, a black Democrat from Brooklyn, asks the Times. "This is not the first time a governor has been under scrutiny. This is not the first time a governor has been investigated. To prematurely call for him to have his powers circumvented or have him removed, I think it’s unfair."

As for Paterson, he told a Midtown breakfast forum yesterday that he still has no plans to step down, explaining, "This is a separate issue that really involves the problems of someone that worked for us and not me. I think there is an hysteria that I’ve been the victim of over the past couple of months. I’ve been resigning about five times before this weekend." And once again he brought up how he missed watching an important sporting contest because of this whole thing: "During the Super Bowl, I spent the whole Super Bowl trying to dispel rumors that I was resigning the next day over what, I have no idea." You know he's never going to forgive the Times for that one!

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in News on March 2, 2010 8:39 AM

Comments [rss]

ANGRYGOD11

Most people forget Paterson is a lawyer.

As a lawyer he should have known better than to approach a domestic violence victim who filed a complaint against one of his employees.

As a human being, he should have shown better common sense.

cool

i'm going to guess that this is the bombshell story from the NYT.

Chakal

I think the media's on the wrong track with this. I don't think the Guv called her to get her to downplay the incident... I think he called her to put the moves on her... I mean, he's got the inside info that she's on the market again, gotta jump while the iron's hot baby!

Peter

My, my my, Sherr-una!

Seriously, we are competing with what now, Rhode Island and Illinois for corrupt governorships?

There are going to be multiple Law & Order episodes coming out of this.

And some people still 'blame' Cuomo's dad for discreding Tawana Brawley.

This could get ugly . I blog more about here.

The Edge

Right and the best person for the job now is.. ?

Spirit of 76

I don't think Ravitch can possibly be worse than Paterson in the remaining ten months. Nor can Cuomo next year.

SimonLok

I don't see Ravitch protecting the taxpayers of NY. He is in bed with too many special interests.

FelixtheCat & Christine Quinn'

yep Ravitich has a lot of experience as Sheldon except they use that experience to screw the people and benefit special interests.

kissel

think again...ravitch sure did wonders for the MTA.

cleanupnynow

David Paterson and his people reached out to the woman in the David Johnson incident and personally pressured her to drop her harassment suit.

Seems to me that these accounts provide the first evidence that Mr. Paterson helped direct an effort to influence the accuser – this sounds a lot like a cover-up and obstruction of justice.

Is David Paterson for real. What planet did he land from? David Paterson mentions he has always wanted to engage in public service. Unfortunately for him, the only service he will be engaged in is serving time behind bars.

At this point, resigning is the least of David Paterson’s problems.

When will this clown as a Governor ever realize that

putting non-qualified friends and ex-girlfriends and gal pals - David Johnson, Clammier Harris, Michael Jones-Bey, Gabrielle Turner, Indira Noel - on the state payroll with six-figure salaries during this recessionary period, is just not the right thing to do?

Hopefully the next Governor will get these unqualified hacks that are in positions out of their skill set, off the public payroll.

For too long David Paterson has been covering up for himself and his aide’s transgressions. Fortunately they and him have been exposed for what they are – at best useless incompetent hacks, at worst CRIMINALS.

His staff and all his friends that he has placed in jobs need to be cleaned out ...GET HIM AND THEM OUT NOW.

This UN-ELECTED GOV needs to go now, before more damage is done and more of the wrong people profit from his office.

cleanupnynow

The more and more I read of the transgressions by David Paterson and his staff - the cover-ups, the obstruction of justice, the blatant lies - the more and more I wish Eliot Spitzer would have read “The Democratic Conference Organizational and Structural Report” detailing the workings of Paterson’s office while he was Senate Minority leader in the New York State Senate, before putting David Paterson on his ticket as Lt. Governor. This report is an objective assessment of this clown’s ability to manage or more precisely mismanage.

http://www.politico.com/static/PPM110_demreportfinal.html

This scathing report indicated that Paterson’s Senate Minority office, headed by the highly inept Michael Jones-Bey, was completely dysfunctional. The unqualified and disinterested Mr. Jones-Bey, a childhood friend of Paterson, who is now incredulously Director of Division of Minority & Women's Business Development at New York State’s Empire State Development Corporation, was reported to be more interested in partying and boozing up with staff than working.

Looks like Paterson's staffers learned their ways from their boss.

GET HIM AND THEM OUT NOW.

ProcedureTurn

I'll be glad when he's gone. Spitzer was the right guy for the job. What a fialure in Paterson. Shame.

unsunghiro

i had a nightmare last night that gov. paterson was obsessed with me. he kept stalking me and trying to get me to go on a date with him. painful. thanks gothamist...

kissel

he has his problems, but the witch hunt had been on for a long time. who knows if this whole thing is setup, since he has been the only gov we've had to has been pushing back on the legislature to get the house in order. that doesn't come without a price in albany and the nyt obviously.

FelixtheCat & Christine Quinn'

Paterson sign bills to expand Cobra for employees up to 36 months, insured dependents through age 29, gender expression discrimination order etc ... Gov Paterson has done a lot of people in this state. If anyone should have been investigated it was Pataki

Troy

Sorry, this was of his own doing,

though there may have been a higher bar that some are being held to in the past, that bar was seemingly lowered to the gutter in the most recent of cases,

maybe it is harsh but people are freakin' fed up, parshally elliot's fault but David owns it all by himself, hookers, cocaine, did you ever think this guy was a "good person" he has stated that he is not a role model so it is not like he denies such.

Is this a witch hunt no, are people fed up yeah, If anything I would hope that aside from the political hacks in clergy and business, and of course the body politic, People wnt these yahpps gone.

These are sad men who refuse to embrace who they are, and promote themselves more then they are ever to be...

Now in a crisis, you want these guys holding the keys?

FelixtheCat & Christine Quinn'

some people just follow the media blindly, people can't even wait for the investigation to be completed. what about Bloomberg who funneled millions through a shell companies to the Independent party. what about his and Quinn's slush fund. What about Bloomberg using NYPD as his personal army?

Paterson didn't play ball with the right people and they spend over a year to take him down. Unfortunately, Paterson is too much of a good guy and his stupid friend and aid johnson was his downfall.

Paterson has passed many good bills when the media doesn't report and I hope Paterson pushes for ethics reform and term limits before his term ends

Spirit of 76

Oh, give it a rest. Nobody in Albany did this to him. He did it to himself. "Witchhunt," indeed. You're as blind to his flaws as he is, pun intended.

Rocknrope

Can a day go by without a bone flying out of this guy's closet?

Spirit of 76

Can't wait for the Paterson apologists to get here. "Leave Paterson alone!" Sorry. Can't do that. He's as crooked as Monserrate, Espada, Rangel and the rest of the politicians, all the while insisting that he's innocent. Even number one fan "starrygordon" doesn't defend him anymore around here. He's going to go down as even more of a disgrace than Spitzer ever was. He's Tricky Dick Lite.