ALBANY — Supermarket mogul John Catsimatidis says he has not been contacted by authorities looking into Mayor de Blasio’s fund-raising operation.
The Daily News in 2014 reported that Catsimatidis donated $50,000 to the Putnam County Democratic Committee at the request of de Blasio and his people.
“I don’t expect to hear from them,” Catsimatidis told the News Wednesday.
As part of the ongoing probe, the FBI and the Manhattan district attorney’s office have begun looking into money raised on behalf of state Senate candidates in 2014, the New York Times reported Tuesday.
DE BLASIO FUND-RAISER ASKING FOR $50G FOR SENATE ELECTIONS MADE DEVELOPER FEEL ‘UNCOMFORTABLE’
The grand jury subpoenas appear related to a series of 2014 Daily News stories detailing how de Blasio and others pushing for a Democratic take-over of the state Senate asked people and unions to donate big to upstate county Democratic committees that then transferred the money to different candidates.
Critics complained at the time the effort was designed to circumvent contribution limits to candidates.
State campaign finance rules prohibit donations of more than $10,300 to an individual candidate. But donors can give as much as $103,000 to county political committees, and those committees can transfer unlimited amounts of money to individual campaigns.
De Blasio spokesman Dan Levitan said Wednesday that “we are confident that at all times all of our efforts were appropriate and in accordance with the law.”
Catsimatidis told the News in 2014 that he donated $50,000 to the Putnam County Democratic Committee after de Blasio himself made the ask.
He said a day after he spoke to the mayor, de Blasio’s former campaign finance director, Ross Offinger, followed up to say where to donate and how much.
Offinger, the Times reported Tuesday, has been questioned by FBI agents.
On Wednesday, Catsimatidis told the News he has not heard from law enforcement said to be looking into the matter.
“I disclosed that a year and a half ago,” he said of the donations. “I never knew the money was going to be diverted to the Democratic Senate.”
He said he found out “by accident” after a Senate Democrat called to thank him.
His $50,000 donation was one of nine contributions, totaling $452,000, that landed in the Putnam County Democratic Committee’s account in October 2014. Days later, the committee transferred $433,000 to the campaigns of then state Sen. Terry Gipson and Senate hopeful Justin Wagner, two Hudson Valley Democrats who both lost their races that year.
The hefty donations were notable because the Putnam County Democratic Committee had not received a check for more than $1,000 in at least 15 years.
The News also reported at the time that the Ulster County Democratic Committee on Oct. 14, 2014, took in $364,000 from four labor unions and a Manhattan-based corporation.
Days later, the committee turned around and sent $160,000 to the campaign of Sen. Cecilia Tkaczyk, who wound up losing her reelection bid.
And the Monroe County Democratic Committee received $100,000 at the time from the Communications Workers of America District One PAC, before sending $60,000 to Sen. Ted O’Brien three days later. O’Brien also lost.
A source close to a developer with business before the city told the News in 2014 that the builder felt “uncomfortable” after receiving an email from Sam Nagourney, finance director of de Blasio’s 2013 mayoral campaign, asking for at least a $50,000 donation to the Ulster County Democratic Committee, the state Working Families Party or the state Senate Democratic Campaign Committee — all of which were working to help the Dems grab control of the Senate. It’s unclear if the developer gave any money.
Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union in 2014 gave the Putnam County Democratic Committee $50,000 and the Monroe County Democratic Committee $102,300 that was then transferred to candidates.
A spokeswoman said the union has not been contacted about the investigation.
Officials from SEIU Local 1199, the state Nurse’s Association, and the Communications Workers of America, who also gave big amounts, either had no immediate comment on the investigation or did not return a call on Wednesday.
Days after the News reported the unusual donations, Putnam County Republican Committee Chairman Anthony Scannapieco Jr. formally asked the state’s Board of Elections enforcement officer to look into the matter.
