Post by dgriffin on Dec 8, 2010 23:06:33 GMT -5
Albany Inquiry Ends in Penalty for a Lobbyist
By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE
Published: December 8, 2010
One of the most influential lobbyists in Albany has been implicated in Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo’s wide-ranging investigation of the New York state pension fund and has agreed to pay a $500,000 fine.
Patricia Lynch, whose lobbying firm, Patricia Lynch Associates, is one of the top-grossing lobbying concerns in New York.
But in announcing the settlement with Ms. Lynch, Mr. Cuomo painted her as an emblem of what critics have called an entrenched pay-to-play culture in Albany, where politically wired lobbyists and operatives shower lawmakers with campaign donations in exchange for access and legislative favors.
The lobbyist, Patricia Lynch, arranged campaign contributions, gifts and even a job to gain access to Alan G. Hevesi, then the state comptroller, on behalf of clients seeking investments from the multibillion-dollar state pension fund, which Mr. Hevesi supervised, according to a settlement agreement between Ms. Lynch and Mr. Cuomo’s office.
In addition to the fine, Ms. Lynch will be prohibited from interacting with the comptroller’s office for five years.
CONTINUED AT:
www.nytimes.com/2010/12/09/nyregion/09lobby.html
How about throwing her crooked ass in jail!