NY Daily News
Mayor
de Blasio got mortgages on his Park Slope homes from a bank founded by
the brother of men who received $173 million from the city in a
controversial real estate deal, The Daily News has learned.
The bank de Blasio secured the mortgages from is Wall Street Mortgage Bankers, which operates under the name Power Express Mortgage Bankers, city Finance Department records show.
The bank’s treasurer, secretary, former president and founder is Abraham Podolsky, public records and multiple sources revealed.
Abraham is the brother of slumlords Jay and Stuart Podolsky, who earlier this year sold 17 buildings to the city for $173 million. Abraham did not respond to several messages.
The $173 million deal — ostensibly aimed at providing affordable housing for poor New Yorkers — came under intense scrutiny for months from critics who pointed to Jay and Stuart’s criminal past, a federal probe into their real estate empire and wildly divergent appraisals on the land they ultimately sold to the city.
Abraham’s
company’s loans to de Blasio as well as his family connections are now
renewing concerns about potential conflicts of interest surrounding the
deal.
Fordham University political science professor Christina Greer said she wants to see the web of connections investigated.
“Something doesn’t smell right. I’m not willing to say something is wrong just yet,” she said. “...This is worth an inquiry.”
City
Comptroller Scott Stringer is probing appraisals of the Podolsky
properties — one city appraisal valued the 17 properties as low as
$49.67 million. In April, he demanded de Blasio’s administration make
them available through a subpoena.
Stringer declined to comment on that investigation, de Blasio’s mortgages and whether those mortgages potentially could have given Jay and Stuart Podolsky any leverage during negotiations.
Mayor de Blasio’s hand-picked Department of Investigation Commissioner Margaret Garnett refused to comment as well.
The ironic thing about this disgusting bribe (which the mayor is allowed to get away with) is that this hook up with the Podolskys, who use to run dilapidated and rodent infested cluster apartment buildings to house the homeless for decades, technically prevents the mayor from being homeless himself.
3 comments:
Preet Bharara could have indicted him a few years ago but like a good Democrat he let him get away with crimes much more serious than other politicians he charged. That was the time to hold De Blasio accountable but Mr. "Stay Tuned" did nothing after implying he was going after him.
Not defending Bharara, but he didn't let him get away with anything.
Donald Trump fired Preet just as the case was creeping up on the Blaz. Then the interim guy and Cy Vance let the bastard slide with only a feeble condemnation. "He broke the spirit of the law"
Something went down at Trump Tower when Billy visited the president weeks before he got exonerated. But beyond that speculation, our mayor is around because REBNY loves this guy and the city has got more immense and dense with luxury tower pestilence in the last 5 years while he's been in office (when he actually shows up there)
Preet Bharara another affirmative action liberal who only prosecuted politicians who had lost favor with the Big Liberal establishment.
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