Results tagged “federalcharges”

Bernard Kerik, BFF of Rudy Giuliani and former NYPD commissioner, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Washington D.C. The indictment relates to statements he made while being vetted to head the Department of Homeland Security in 2004—prosecutors say he was lying while Kerik's lawyer says he's being "overzealously" pursued. Kerik is accused of numerous misdoings—such as not claiming more than $500,000 in income on his tax returns, taking money from a contractor who had been angling for a city contract, taking a free Upper East Side apartment from a developer, claiming $80,000 in charitable deductions he never made—and will be tried in NY for those. Kerik's lawyer told WCBS 2, "Mr. Kerik looks forward to finally clearing his name of these corruption charges at his federal trial in New York set for October...However many trials it takes, Mr. Kerik will vigorously defend himself against these unfounded accusations and is confident that he will be completely vindicated." In 2007, Giuliani called hiring Kerik "a mistake."

Michael Garcia, who is leaving the U.S. Attorney's office for private practice, explained why former governor Eliot Spitzer isn't facing federal charges for his involvement with a prostitution ring. In an interview with the NY Times, Garcia "said that although there was evidence that Mr. Spitzer had violated the Mann Act, which prohibits transporting people across state lines for the purpose of prostitution, there were none of the other factors that traditionally weighed in favor of bringing charges, like the use of juvenile prostitutes, or commercial or other exploitation of them." He added,"I think at the end of the day that decision is the right decision. And it’s justice in that case. And I stand by it.”

Unsurprisingly, Republican strategist Roger Stone is critical of the feds not charging former governor Eliot Spitzer for soliciting a prostitute. Long before Hookergate, Stone may have called Spitzer a "phony, psycho piece of s---" (in a message to Spitzer's dad), and Stone has claimed he gave tips to the feds about Spitzer's hotel room activities. On "The Stone Zone", Stone writes Spitzer got off since he "is a former prosecutor and chief law enforcement officer of New York that he should have been prosecuted. When powerful politicians break the law with impunity, it only encourages official corruption. As Attorney General Eliot Spitzer prosecuted prostitution rings while he himself was patronizing one. Very clearly, he has violated federal money laundering statutes and the Mann Act by transporting a prostitute over state lines to engage in sexual acts. So, the central message of Watergate is wrong - some people are above the law."