Cuomo pal spills for leniency deal
The corruption probe of Gov. Cuomo’s two longtime associates has taken a critical turn with Todd Howe, onetime lobbyist and longtime Cuomo family confidant, signing a “cooperation agreement’’ with US Attorney Preet Bharara, a source close to the investigation told The Post.
The agreement promises Howe, whose ties to Cuomo go back three decades, “favorable treatment’’ and “leniency’’ in the event that he’s criminally charged, in exchange for full details of his lobbying activities on behalf of several major state contractors with senior Cuomo administration officials.
Those officials include Joseph Percoco, Cuomo’s closest friend and top aide who is currently senior vice president at Madison Square Garden, the source said.
Howe has been interviewed by federal prosecutors “about six times,’’ most recently about two weeks ago, when he “traded something that has to do with Percoco’’ and provided information on the influential, Albany-based, Whiteman Osterman & Hanna law firm, with which he had been affiliated, the source said.
Howe, who worked for Cuomo when the current governor was federal housing secretary under President Bill Clinton, was described by the source as isolated from friends and family and disconsolate as Bharara’s investiga- tion continues to unfold.
“He doesn’t have a job and no one from Andrew Cuomo’s entourage will even deal with him,’’ said the source.
Howe’s lawyer, Richard Morvillo, did not return a call seeking comment.
Howe, who as a lobbyist had access to the highest levels of the Cuomo administration, and Percoco, whom Cuomo has described as being like “my father’s third son,’’ were cut off from access to the administration after Bharara served a sweeping subpoena related to the activities of both men on the governor’s office in late April.
The subpoena, which was followed by a state attorney general’s raid on Howe’s Albany office — lo- cated at the SUNY’s Polytechnic Institute, which he once represented — and a federal raid on Percoco’s Westchester home, was part of Bharara’s probe of Cuomo’s Buffalo Billion project, contractors for which hired Howe and at various times paid Percoco and Percoco’s wife “consulting” fees.
Percoco has denied through his lawyer that he has done anything wrong, while Howe has remained silent about his activities.
Cuomo issued a statement just after the subpoena became public saying that unnamed “individuals’’ may have “deceived’’ and “defrauded’’ the state in connection with the Buffalo Billion program. There is even more evidence backing up The Post’s Sunday dis- closure that Cuomo infuriated Democratic convention organizers with what one called his “divalike’’ demands and then made matters worse by speaking three times longer than the time allotted, throwing off the tightly programmed schedule.
“He was supposed to speak for five minutes, but he went on for 15¹/2 minutes,’’ a national party insider with ties to President Obama told The Post.
“He was totally selfish. It incensed everyone. He threw the whole schedule out of whack. A Medal of Honor winner with a great story was told he had to get off the stage as soon as possible.”
A request for comment from Cuomo was answered by state Democratic Committee Executive Director Basil Smikle, who ignored the question of the long speech and said, “The governor was honored to address the convention and support Hillary Clinton’s vision for the future.’’
While he insists he is only focused on re-election in 2018, state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli has taken steps to prepare for a run for governor — and a possible Democratic primary challenge to Cuomo — in two years, said a source close to DiNapoli.
“If two unknowns can get nearly 40 percent in the primary against Cuomo, Tom, who is very popular with the base, could easily beat him,’’ insisted a longtime Democratic operative, referring to the surprisingly strong vote garnered in the primary two years ago by law professor Zephyr Teachout and comedian Randy Credico.
No one from Andrew Cuomo’s entourage will even deal with him. — an insider on the shunning of Todd Howe (left) after his cooperation with investigators