In a press conference yesterday with high-powered attorney Gloria Allred at her side, Assistant State Attorney General and accused money-for-lashings dominatrix Alisha Smith resigned her post, but not before criticizing her employer for a breach of public decency. "All of [the AG's] actions towards me have been deeply disturbing because I have never accepted any money or payment from any outside source for anything," Smith said. more ›

A respected prosecutor specializing in securities fraud has been suspended from the New York Attorney General's office after it was revealed that she moonlights as a dominatrix. 36-year-old Alisha Smith, or "Alisha Spark" to those that know her in the BDSM community, was commended just three years ago by then-Attorney General Andrew Cuomo for her $5 billion dollar settlement she extricated from Bank of America due to securities fraud allegations. "They pay her to go to the events. She dominates people, restrains them and whips them," a "fetish source" breathlessly tells the Post. more ›

Just in time for the tenth anniversary of the September 11th attacks, a man who stole thousands from the September 11th Families' Association has been sent to jail for nine months. At the same time, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is warning folks to be super careful about giving donations to the many questionable 9/11 charities out there. more ›

The federal government is being sued for allowing natural gas drilling, which involves the potentially harmful "fracking" technique, without conducting a full environmental review. New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced a lawsuit yesterday that seeks to compel federal agencies to conduct an environmental review before the regulations authorizing gas drilling in the Delaware River Basin are finalized. Obviously, this goes against the gas industry's motto of "frack first, question later." more ›

Last night and early this morning the NYPD's Auto Crime unit, along with the Attorney General's office, went about dismantling a sophisticated and large car theft and resale ring which they say stole hundreds of cars worth more than $100 million dollars. The bust, which pulled in 18 alleged crooks, came after a nine-month investigation based on a tip. more ›

Breaking news out of NJ: bath salts are dangerous! Sure, we've been hearing all about the dangers of bath salts for the last five months or so, but for some reason, it was all too much for the state to take anymore. Today, NJ Attorney General Paula Dow filed emergency rules designed to immediately ban the sale and manufacture of bath salts, and criminalize the muscle relaxing product. more ›

Hot on the heels of the December repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell President Obama has made another shift in policy firmly in the direction of equal rights for gays and lesbians. In a statement today Attorney General Eric Holder has announced that his office will pretty much cease defending the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)—though it won't stop enforcing it until it is repealed or struck down in court: more ›

State Senator Eric Schneiderman won his bid to be New York's next "sheriff" by defeating Staten Island DA Dan Donovan in the Attorney General race. Schneiderman, who got 55% of the vote to Donovan's 44%, said, "This was a campaign of activism, and boy, did we show what activists can do!... I'm ready to go. I've stood up against powerful forces before and, Ladies and Gentleman, you may have noticed I'm hard to kill." That's total Sheriff-speak! more ›

On Tuesday, New Yorkers will be heading to the polls (or not) to vote for Governor, Attorney General, and a slew of other politicians. But according to an informal street poll conducted by the Daily News, most New Yorkers can't identify most of the candidates. more ›

Yesterday, Quinnipiac reported that 85% of registered Democrats don't know who they'll vote for come the Democratic Attorney General primary on September 14. The Observer reports some people think the poll was flawed—"Instead of giving respondants a list of names and asking them to pick one—which would have at the very least given a sense of who has the highest name i.d.—respondents were asked who they are voting for. Thus, 8 percent of respondent named somebody not running"—which poll director Maurice Carroll doesn't necessarily disagree with, "There is no great interest in this race right now. So there is absolutely no way to predict who is going to win." more ›

The Daily Politics' Celeste Katz reports, "The Rev. Al Sharpton just confirmed to me that he is endorsing state Sen. Eric Schneiderman in the five-way Democratic primary for state attorney general. I'm sure Team Schneiderman sees this as a real get as they continue to promote their campaign's supporters as the most racially and ethnically diverse group out there." There have been concerns about the Democratic party's all-white state ballot, so much so that Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo contacted Sharpton. In recent days, Schneiderman has landed endorsements from the NY Times and the good government group the Citizens Union (rival Eric Dinallo received endorsements from the Daily News and Crain's). more ›

A day after getting praise (but not an endorsement) from the NY Times, Eric Dinallo has received the Daily News editorial board's endorsement for the Democratic nomination for NY State Attorney General. A former prosecutor in the Manhattan DA's office as well as State AG's office (under Spitzer), Dinallo is described by the News as having a "blend of first-rate legal, executive and regulatory experience that is unique among the contenders and equips him best to lead New York's top law office amid rising challenges." more ›

There are five contenders vying for the Democratic nomination to run for NY State Attorney General. The race has drawn limited interest of voters—last month, a poll found that 81% of Democrats had no idea who they would vote for—but now the NY Times has entered the fray with its endorsement of State Senator Eric Schneiderman, "because of his sound judgment, legal expertise, political independence and long history of fighting for government reform... During his 12 years in the Senate, he championed important laws protecting women’s rights and repealing the overly harsh Rockefeller-era drug laws, and he challenged his party’s leaders when they chose expedience over conviction." more ›

Is this the Daily News' way to get voters to pay attention to the Attorney General race? A recent Quinnipiac poll showed that 81% of Democrats didn't know who they would vote for in the primary next month and only 3% could name on of the five Democrats vying for a shot at Andrew Cuomo's job. But now we bet the 3% will go up, because Nassau County DA Kathleen Rice met with the News' Editorial Board and "admitted Tuesday to dabbling with marijuana and cocaine in her college days." more ›

Yesterday, Newsday reported that Nassau County DA and NY Attorney General candidate Kathleen Rice has only voted eight times since first registering to vote in 1984: "Rice, who faces four challengers in a Sept. 14 primary contest for the Democratic nomination, cast the first vote of her life in November 2002. All told through 2009, she voted in eight of the 26 years since she first registered to vote as a Republican in 1984." Rice explained, "It was my mistake. During that period of my life, I did not vote. Unfortunately, like a lot of young adults early in their professional lives, I failed to see the political significance of casting a ballot." more ›

The five Democratic hopefuls for Attorney General will have some sparring ahead in their future endeavors to replace current AG Andrew Cuomo, but at least there is one thing right now that unites them all, beyond party lines and policies: a distinct disdain for one Hiram Monserrate. more ›

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is gearing up to announce his nomination for Governor very soon (perhaps May 25?), and in true "prince of darkness" form, he's set in motion a dastardly plan to make sure you announce your allegiance to him! more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is holding a press conference today to defend himself against a damaging expose in the NY Times, which asserts that he repeatedly lied and exaggerated about his military service during the Vietnam War. This is big trouble for Democrats because Blumenthal is running to claim Chris Dodd's Senate seat, and the article catches their guy with his pants way down and on fire. more ›

The NY Times has a long feature on the relationship between former NY governor Mario Cuomo and presumptive 2010 gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo that includes quotes like "He’s thick skulled; he won’t listen to me. Tell him what to do" (supposedly what Mario told a consultant about Andrew) and "There was this sense of rivalry — Andrew seemed to feel that his dad talked a good game but that he, Andrew, got things done" (someone who worked under Andrew Cuomo at HUD). But what's interesting is how the 1977 mayoral campaign comes into play. more ›

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo just can't get enough of Pedro Espada these days. Today The Prince of Darkness filed yet another lawsuit against the Senate Majority Leader from Bronxchester, accusing Espada and his son Pedro G. (you remember G.) of running a "sham job training program" that enabled them to siphon money from Espada's shady non-profit health clinic, Soundview. Espada allegedly created a for-profit management company, Espada Management, which was supposed to supply janitors for the Soundview medical clinics. But according to Cuomo's lawsuit: more ›

Eliot Spitzer may not have announced his comeback, but he's definitely angling for something: In today's NY Times, Spitzer speaks at length about Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who is expected to run for—and be elected—Governor of New York this fall. The former crusading Attorney General turned disgraced Governor said of Cuomo's reputation as a "tough guy," "Toughness is not the issue. It’s easy to be tough if the selection of one’s target is driven by politics. The real test is, do you take on the battles that have been unpopular and perhaps seem impossible to win but are important to take on?" more ›

For all you Pedro Espada critics—or fans—out there, you may want to set your DVRs to tape WCBS 2's "Eye on New York" at 6:30 a.m. tomorrow morning. Because the State Senate Majority Leader huffed and puffed and blew his top in the middle of an interview, storming off the set during the taping. And it was all over how WCBS 2 reporter Marcia Kramer confronted him last year about actually living in Westchester and not in his Bronx district. more ›

Move over Richard Perle, there's a new heir to the throne of darkness! During an interview on Good Day New York this morning, embattled State Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada, Jr. came out swinging at Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who filed a civil lawsuit against Espada accusing him and 14 others of "looting" at least $14 million from the taxpayer-funded health clinic Soundview. Today Espada angrily dismissed the growing scandal as "a politically-motivated witch hunt from the Prince of Darkness himself." And of course, he didn't stop there: more ›

As Steve Levy steals the spotlight in his bid for the governorship, "well-placed Republicans" say the GOP wants former party favorite Rick Lazio to step aside. According to the Post, it's encouraging the under-funded candidate to pursue a different office, attorney general maybe, or Kirsten Gillibrand's seat in the senate. However a state party spokesman denies the reports and a source close to the the former Long Island congressman called both ideas "patently absurd." more ›

Governor David Paterson was intimately involved in an attempt to hush up a domestic violence incident involving one of his top aides, three anonymous sources tell the Times. According to their account, Paterson's interference in the alleged victim's legal action goes even further than what was previously alleged (that Paterson personally called the woman, Sherr-una Booker, and tasked two state workers with pressuring her to drop her legal action against the aide, David Johnson). Sources say that last month, on the eve of the Times's first of many damaging articles about Johnson, Paterson personally drafted a statement he hoped Booker would release to the media. more ›

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced yesterday that his office would investigate "the manipulation of salary and overtime payments that leads to inflated pensions at the expense of taxpayers," citing various cases of state employees who managed to increase their salaries by 30-167%. Cuomo said, "There is a possibility that it's gaming of the system." more ›

Attorney General and still unofficial gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo isn't fooling anyone. His critics have already called him "clever" and "coy" for not officially announcing his campaign, a strategy they say has allowed him to gain publicity without having to take difficult stances or unpopular positions. Now—even though he's still not officially in the race—his rivals have released a fairy tale-themed attack ad blasting the probable candidate, according to the Daily News. more ›

Who is Judith Kaye? Yesterday allies of Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, as well as independent observers, had many nice things to say about the 71-year-old retired judge, who was appointed to the bench by Governor Mario Cuomo but has no experience as a prosecutor. Yet that's just what makes her so perfect for the job of investigating Governor David Paterson; her respected career on the bench will boost the probe's credibility, or so they say. "Regardless of what decision she reaches, her decision will be respected because of who she is and what she brings to the table," Alan Vinegrad, a former US attorney in Brooklyn, tells the Times. more ›

Although the Attorney General's probe is not yet complete, sources tell the Daily News that investigators "have found little direct evidence" that Governor Paterson illegally interfered in a domestic abuse case against one of his top aides, David Johnson. Sherr-una Booker, who tried to get an order of protection against Johnson after he allegedly assaulted her on Halloween, has told investigators that "she didn't feel the governor threatened her" during a phone conversation on February 7th, one day before she effectively dropped her legal action against Johnson. more ›

Now that Bank of America has agreed to a $150 million settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission, NY Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has filed a lawsuit against the bank and its former CEO and CFO, accusing it of misleading the government and investors in its purchase of Merrill Lynch. Cuomo said, "This merger is a classic example of how the actions of our nation’s largest financial institutions led to the near-collapse of our financial system. Bank of America, through its top management, engaged in a concerted effort to deceive shareholders and American taxpayers at large..." more ›