Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration got swindled trying to buy millions of dollars of Chinese medical gear amid the coronavirus crisis — and has been forced to hire a law firm in Hong Kong in a bid to recoup the taxpayer money it lost, The Post has learned.
The state Department of Health signed a $125,000 contract with the overseas lawyers, Gall Solicitors late last year, according to records posted online by the state Comptroller’s Office.
The one-year pact was exempted from a “pre-audit” by Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli under pandemic-related emergency powers Cuomo granted himself on March 7 — and which some lawmakers now want to revoke due to the spiraling controversy over New York’s nursing home deaths.
Earlier this month, The Post exclusively revealed that a top aide privately admitted Cuomo’s administration hid the number of resident deaths in hospitals from lawmakers and the public due to fear that federal prosecutors would use it “against us.” That has sparked calls for Cuomo to be impeached and also a reported federal Justice Department probe.
Officials declined to provide The Post with a copy of the legal retainer contract or details of the underlying dispute.
But a Cuomo spokesman acknowledged that the DOH hired Gall on Dec. 24 “to help us pursue recovery of state funds there, related to procurement.”
“The contract was just approved and papers will be filed soon, and we’ll reserve further comment until then,” spokesman Rich Azzopardi said.
The DOH previously hired the white-shoe law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom to vet its purchases of coronavirus-related medical equipment and supplies.
That agreement was struck on March 1 and could cost taxpayers as much as $1.25 million, according to the comptroller’s website.
“Skadden was retained to provide much-needed expertise to ensure that the lifesaving equipment the State procured met FDA requirements before the equipment was distributed to hospitals,” DOH spokesman Gary Holmes said.
The state rushed into more than $1 billion worth of deals for medical supplies and equipment last year — only to later seek partial refunds amounting to about one-third of the total, the New York Times reported in mid-December, shortly before the DOH hired Gall.
The money at issue included a $12.5 million deposit for 1,000 ventilators from Please Me LLC, a company that had never before sold the high-tech devices but whose product line included sex toys, children’s books and other items, The Times said.
15 comments:
It just gets better and better with Gauleiter Crazy Eyes, doesn't it?
At one time the antics of a putz like this would have cost him his job but in this day and age
he just soldiers on with no end in sight. What a depraved society we now have.
I thought he was the sex toy while reading about his antics.
""has been forced to hire a law firm in Hong Kong""
-----------------------------------------------------
Both the purchase and lawyer money is gone.
Its just like when some kid gets jailed in Mexico, Central America or Caribbean Island for drugs or DWI
The lawyers work for the crooked government in bed with the crooks who then instruct the lawyers to milk you for as much $$ they can.
Then some judge says "you lose"
Its a circle and all involved have a hand in each other lap, as in partners!!
This governor is turning out to be a bigger jackass then I imagined.
The rumors he harasses people are no doubt true and more claims will come.
The carcasses, feathers & poop never fall far from the nest.
When his mother had something to do with N Shore Hospital in Manhasset she would physically assault and push people around. Tear important paperwork out of fax machines and threaten to get people fired.
My sister was one of her victims, Mrs.Cuomo physically grabbed her arm and pushed her into a desk corner when she was faxing medical information and tore it out. "Ill rip it up on you, and have you fired"
Mrs. Cuomo wanted the fax & office equipment over some personal use unrelated to a medical emergency or use. This happened around 1987, nobody would believe my sister and yes indeed she was given 3 choices: 1-Shutup, 2-Quit or, 3-Get fired.
I posted this to the original Crappy maybe 5-8 years ago
-Joe
just soldiers on with no end in sight
-----------------------------------------
You got that right!
Like the Clintons, Harvey Weinstein, Jeffrey Epstein this "protected" family has had special extremely wealthy friends in very high places going back over 40 years. Nothing will happen to this putz under the new president, attorney generals and our spineless local shitz up in Albany.
Its just like when some kid gets jailed in Mexico, Central America or Caribbean Island for drugs or DWI
The lawyers work for the crooked government in bed with the crooks who then instruct the lawyers to milk you for as much $$ they can
Coming soon to an America near you!
He's been screwing the taxpayers of NY with no lube for 11 years and the idiots of this state love it and him. What a bunch of fucking idiots. Nobody is able to see through this phony fuck. WAKE UP IDIOTS!!!!
Ventilator ... vaginalator... I can see why he thought the same company could make both of them...
Anonymous said- He's been screwing the taxpayers of NY with no lube for 11 years
Exactly, and his father did the same for what over 20 years? I do not understand how so many reward him and all these other asshole communists with re-election. Its always been a problem in New York but how the hell did we get over-run with so many stupid people in the voting base so quickly ?
Now President Joe Biden, Shumer, Pelosi and the loony left is institutionalizing socialism with an all-out war. Including talk of "rent amnesty" as reparations for all Blacks, handing illegals "municipal voting and Medicaid cards" in all the big city's and county's.
What the fuck, have these people gone completely crazy?
It seems Biden’s “unity presidency” claim is morphing more and more each day into an “equity administration,” hellbent on denying bedrock American principles in favor of preferences based solely on group identity.
Like deBlasio and Cuomo, in Joe Biden’s America, some are much more “equal” than others.
Zoë
@Zoe
No worries, be ready for President Harris. The bait and switch operation is underway.
Corruption? What corruption
Check this out!
https://pols.uic.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/273/2021/02/Corruption-Spikes-in-IL-Anti-Corruption-Rpt-13-final2.-1.pdf
Lovely numbers! Actually NY is number 3 in corruption - not bad!
Now Fake News MSM has to pay for Covid tests $170 a pop to enter the meaningless
"I circle back to you" press briefings.
https://www.theblaze.com/news/media-ticked-over-white-house-plan-to-charge-reporters-170-for-covid-19-test-every-time-they-enter
During Trump the White House picked up the tab. Now the presstitutes are howling!
Well done Joe!
He’s been giving it to us up the ass anyway. A sex toy would be a welcome relief.
More "victims" step forward
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/27/nyregion/cuomo-charlotte-bennett-sexual-harassment.html
Trying to take down their target.
To all my CrAzY Left "friends", let’s get this straight. You all think every republican believes in Q and lasers from space shit? You all must be off your meds again.
"What the fuck, have these people gone completely crazy?"
Yes years ago, welcome to the party Zoe !
@Zoe
We're in a spiritual war that's being physically played out in a divine mystical realm that is
God's kingdom !
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