I BOUGHT THE MAYOR FOR $193G
Donor’s shocking testimony: Gave money for favors
ONE OF Mayor de Blasio’s biggest donors took the witness stand Thursday to spell out in crystal-clear language how he showered Hizzoner with money and says he got the results he expected from City Hall.
The embarrassing pay-to-play testimony came from Jona Rechnitz, a Brooklyn businessman who pleaded guilty to corruption charges and is the star witness in the trial of disgraced jail union boss Norman Seabrook.
Describing one element of the criminal offense to which he admitted guilt, Rechnitz, 33, kept it simple, saying he “was giving money to the mayor of New York in exchange for favors.”
The deep-pocket donor for the first time detailed his regular interactions with the mayor, revealing that de Blasio came to his office before the 2013 election, gave him his personal cell number on the back of a business card, and “told me to call if there’s anything I need, always be in touch.”
He also detailed his numerous transactions with de Blasio’s top aide, Ross Offinger, portraying him as a sort of bag man who regularly solicited money for the mayor while relaying Rechnitz’s many demands for favors to City Hall.
“Whenever we would call (Offinger) for access or for a favor, we were getting the response that we expected and the results we were expecting,” Rechnitz said.
In sworn testimony in Manhattan Federal Court, Rechnitz described a meeting he and another donor, Jeremy Reichberg, had with Offinger in which his desire for a quid pro quo was made quite clear.
“We expect a lot of access and influence in the office,” Rechnitz said the group told Offinger. “We’re going to become significant contributors, but we want access. And when we call, we want answers. When we reach out for things, we want them to get done. It was very important, and specifically stated at that meeting.”
He said Offinger, who was chief rainmaker first for the mayor’s 2013 campaign and, later, for his nonprofit Campaign for One New York, replied, “OK. How much do you think you guys can get together?”
Rechnitz said he replied, “About $50,000 to $100,000.”
As the tale unfolded Thursday in a downtown courtroom, de Blasio’s press secretary, Eric Phillips, a few blocks away at City Hall, mocked the credibility of Rechnitz’s claims.
“These are nothing but reheated, repackaged accusations that have been extensively reviewed and passed on by authorities at multiple levels,” he said. “The administration has never, and will never, make government decisions based on campaign contributions.”
Offinger’s lawyer, Harlan Levy, did not respond to calls for comment. As recently as last month, Offinger was getting paid $10,000 a month as a fund-raiser
for de Blasio’s reelection campaign.
Since mid-2016, Rechnitz has been cooperating with the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s wide-ranging probe of municipal corruption that resulted in bribery charges against several top cops and Seabrook, the former president of the city correction officer union.
The federal probe of de Blasio ended in March when Manhattan U.S. Attorney Joon Kim said he would not bring charges, but made clear his investigation found that the mayor had intervened on behalf of big donors.
Rechnitz certainly qualified as a big donor. For de Blasio’s 2013 campaign, he raised $41,000 through bundled checks; personally donated $50,000 to his Campaign for One New York; and wrote a $102,300 check as part of the mayor’s failed 2014 effort to flip the state Senate to Democratic control.
After de Blasio was elected, Rechnitz testified, Offinger returned with his hand out.
“He would call when they needed money,” he said. “I would call whenever I had an issue.”
The mayor has said Campaign for One New York was separate from his campaign and raised money only to support policy causes of the mayor, such as his push for prekindergarten expansion.
Offinger was its chief fundraiser, but Rechnitz said he spent a lot of time taking the requests he made for favors to City Hall.
Rechnitz made clear that if he offered to give a certain figure, Offinger would pressure him to come through with the whole amount.
“When I told Ross I’m going to raise him a certain amount, I had a lot of pressure from him to bring that amount in,” he said. “So many times when he was even in my office, I would tell them hold on. I would go and get a few checks from people and then bring them in.”
Rechnitz was one of several donors who got tremendous access to the mayor. De Blasio routinely ordered his minions to intervene on donors’ behalf.
Emails show de Blasio responding, “I’m all ears” when Rechnitz suggested a candidate for buildings commissioner, and when a Manhattan building he owned was cited for illegal AirBnB activity, City Hall intervened.
On Thursday, Rechnitz revealed he reached out to Offinger about the issue, stating, “I was getting violations in the thousands of dollars, and I didn’t think that was fair. So I called Ross, and I told him I wanted him to get me in front of the people who make these decisions so that I don’t have to keep paying these expensive violations.”
Rechnitz was cited for not having the fire protection required for a hotel. The city had the option of shutting down the building as unsafe, but chose not to. Instead, officials issued a fine, which Rechnitz paid.
Rechnitz also admitted he used “straw donors” — an illegal scheme to get around laws that limit the amount contributors can give to politicians.
The law bars donors from masking their identity by giving to campaigns through other donors. Rechnitz said he would ask his employees to write checks to the campaign, then reimburse them.