New York Times article on Council corruption, March 2002

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an Extortion Scheme his City Council committee positions, but he did not resign from the full Council. 'cbnent Citi a The charges against Mr.-Rodriguez were unusual because it was the first time that a in paRttion on a sitting City Council member had been en­ snared in a corruption investigation in near­ esc a novation. ly a decade, and because individual couBCil member's are rarely thought to wield the kind of power that would warrant such a under the supervision of city large bribe. ives, agents from the Federal The waterfront development project cen­ ivestigation and federal pros- tered on the $15 million renovatton O'f a O’Connell secretly tape-re­ dilapidated red brick coffee warehouse Into al conversations with the coun* the city’s third and largest Fairway super­ nade two $9,000 payments to- market, a gastronomic mecca that Mr. ,000. O'Connell contends woold bring to the neigh­ guez and Mr. Morales both borhood. not only hundreds of cheeses and Suilty yesterday in a brief pro- otter esoteric foods, but also 375 jobs. re Magistrate Judge Steven M. “Some members of tie community saw ral District Court in Brooklyn. odriguez resigned from all of Continued on Page B4

Report Finds Favoritism hi Contracts Inspector "iCi^eral Says Fch'iki h^Hghbor Gained By RICHARD PtltEZ-PEMA ALBANY. March 28 — State University of New York officials repeatedly violated uni­ la versity rules and twisted' the process of selecting consultants so that they could award contracts to an architect who is Gov. G»rge E. Pataki’s next-door neighbor and a relative by marriage, the state inspector general reported today. Inspector General Roslynn R. Mauskopf, iki appointee, concluded that favorit­ ism played a role ia the awarding of con­ tracts to the architect, James Copelaad, and his firm, Hudson Design, and fa the bypass­ ing of the pules. She wrote that while there were “procurement guidelines, rates and regBtetion.s designed to ensure a fair and open consultaat selection process, these ieoT'ge Ruh© tor The New York 'Hmes were ignored.” s for Tibet’s Parliament. Her 57-page report provides new detail anti documentat'toa for charges made last year tn articles to Newsday, and h' ; art. by the state comptroller, H. Carl McCall .Mr. Copeland lives next : to the gover­ nor to Garrison, ia Putnam County, and is married to a sister of the governor’s wife, Libby. In 1998 and 1B>9, Hadson Design was awarded five state iialversity contracts an Whw worth more than $200,0®®, and was ■ tenta­ tively awarded another, worth more than $1 ves. million, but the project was put ob bold, Calis to the firm today were not aaswerad. Mr. Dorjee, 33, arrived ; Ms. Maaskopf’s report said two Mgh-lewl tout General Assembly Pataki appointees might have taken the It. NoAu chackled over unusual step of ask NY official who iinerlctm capacity tor oversaw architectural contracts to meet I if .a bill (lies, It has not with Mr. Copeland, ft was after that meeting »be reborn again." that the university system began steerto'jg ted their first “prime wort Ms way. BilgMs. Maaslcopf played NYC-WTC_0001434^