New York Daily News

Mayor donor said tied to ticket scam

- BY VICTORIA BEKIEMPIS

A BIG-TIME donor to Mayor de Blasio, expected to testify in an upcoming public corruption trial, is more deeply involved in criminal activity than the government lets on, new court papers claim.

Jona Rechnitz, who quietly admitted to giving campaign contributi­ons in exchange for favors, is set to take the stand against former Correction Officers’ Benevolent Associatio­n honcho Norman Seabrook, as well as Murray Huberfeld, the onetime head of Platinum Partners hedge fund.

Huberfeld’s lawyers believe the feds have informatio­n that Rechnitz (photo, top) “knowingly participat­ed” in a wholesale ticket business scam, they said in court papers Monday.

This bogus wholesale stubs business involves Jason Nissen, who was hit with one wire fraud count in May for allegedly duping investors out of $70 million.

Despite info from wiretaps, a “secret recording” of Nissen and emails, prosecutor­s continue to resist the idea Rechnitz was Nissen’s “apparent co-conspirato­r,” Huberfeld’s lawyers argue.

The lawyers also said they believe Rechnitz didn’t tell the feds about it when he started coming clean — and that they learned about it from Nissen instead.

Seabrook, 57, is accused of accepting a $60,000 kickback to push $20 million in union pension funds toward Platinum Partners, which has since gone belly up. BARUCH EZAGUI

Seabrook (photo, below) and Huberfeld, 56, face conspiracy and wire fraud charges in the alleged bribery scheme. Both Rechnitz and Nissen’s lawyers declined to comment.

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