Question: can a person sue a political candidate for non-repayment of an illegal loan?
That's for attorney Louis Vayas to figure out.
After The Curious Cammarano Complaint appeared on GA, several folks contacted me on another questionable aspect of the suit. Such as this text I got yesterday:
GA has no idea whether loan in question was a straw donation - that's a leap I can't make.
But much simpler is is comparing the amount of the loan with what ELEC law limits are. Not rocket science. Here it is.
One of the 3 plaintiffs, Florence Amato, is suing for the unpaid balance of her 20K loan to Cammarano.
Cammarano's 'Run-off' ELEC submitted on 10/08/10 shows the "Outstanding Obligation" to Amato for "Balance on Loan" for $13,801.44. The "date incurred" was 6/22/2009- the Run-Off, not the Municipal election. There were (2)candidates in the Run-off campaign: Peter Cammarano and Angel Alicea.
So what's the problem with this loan?
It's here, from NJ ELEC.
There were (2) candidates in the Run-Off meaning the legal maximum loan from an individual to a Candidate Committee was $5,200 (2 x $2600).
My peeps call that chutzpah. Others call it "brass f*cking balls" Whatever it is, how did this wind up in a lawsuit filed with the court?
Did Zayas realize he asked the court to enforce the 'right' of his plaintiff to violate ELEC law?
Anyway, here is the ELEC excerpt which explains the law for campaign loans. And for Florence Amato and Louis Zayas:
One more thing...the City of Hoboken is a defendant in this law suit to recover an illegal campaign loan!
Those brass balls are bigger than friggin' COCONUTS.
That's for attorney Louis Vayas to figure out.
After The Curious Cammarano Complaint appeared on GA, several folks contacted me on another questionable aspect of the suit. Such as this text I got yesterday:
GA has no idea whether loan in question was a straw donation - that's a leap I can't make.
But much simpler is is comparing the amount of the loan with what ELEC law limits are. Not rocket science. Here it is.
One of the 3 plaintiffs, Florence Amato, is suing for the unpaid balance of her 20K loan to Cammarano.
Cammarano's 'Run-off' ELEC submitted on 10/08/10 shows the "Outstanding Obligation" to Amato for "Balance on Loan" for $13,801.44. The "date incurred" was 6/22/2009- the Run-Off, not the Municipal election. There were (2)candidates in the Run-off campaign: Peter Cammarano and Angel Alicea.
It's here, from NJ ELEC.
There were (2) candidates in the Run-Off meaning the legal maximum loan from an individual to a Candidate Committee was $5,200 (2 x $2600).
Amato loaned the camapgin $20K and is suing for the unpaid balance, $13,801.45.
My peeps call that chutzpah. Others call it "brass f*cking balls" Whatever it is, how did this wind up in a lawsuit filed with the court?
Did Zayas realize he asked the court to enforce the 'right' of his plaintiff to violate ELEC law?
Anyway, here is the ELEC excerpt which explains the law for campaign loans. And for Florence Amato and Louis Zayas:
One more thing...the City of Hoboken is a defendant in this law suit to recover an illegal campaign loan!
Those brass balls are bigger than friggin' COCONUTS.
GA I'm sorry from time to time we may disagree on some details but this is absolutely ridiculous. Are you trying to have the local media make massive layoffs?
ReplyDeleteBecause this is a sure way to do it. It's like a death by a thousand bloggers.
Btw, Da Horsey is not a blogger. MSV is something like Hunter Thompson meets Tom Wolfe without the drugs and fancy white suit.
Another good get Grafix Avenger.
If there were no Feds applying the heat in town, the Old Guard would be after you. As it is, they are on the run and have bigger problems.
Well done, as usual, GA! And very nice that the little pony gives you due-props.
ReplyDelete(Even if it's quite the stretch to claim his personal blog is a a melding of "Gonzo," with "New Journalism," I never underestimate Horsey's value in the "reform" effort! Flexin' that ego at full gallop, Horsey!)
The lawyers are either stupid, or they have the judge in their hands.
ReplyDeleteAnd The Reporter wonders why our legal bills are so high. I wonder what the city paid to defend itself against Mrs. Richard G. Mason's frivolous law suits?
ReplyDeleteThanks Horsey, but some things are no-brainers.
ReplyDeleteThis suit is worth picking over for 2 reasons:
(1) The City is a defendant. Absurd. More crap thrown at the administration to dirty it and waste OUR tax dollars defending such nonsense.
(2) pure opinion, but GA thinks this is orchestrated payback for Cammy's cooperation with the Feds and is an effort to muddy him, make him a less effective prosecution tool.
Imagine, suing to recover an ILLEGAL loan. What a pile of bullshit. IMO, Amato made a bad investment... too bad. Why do Hoboken taxpayers have to shell out to defend THAT?
Please.
Good points, GA. Zayas does seem like such a smarmy numbskull-with-an-"Esquire."
ReplyDeleteBut PC is already sullied & his law firm, I recall, specialized in quasi-legal election-fixing anyway, including advisement around circumventing pay-to-play, etc.
MBB's no attorney, but...
One might wonder if there's really any viable legal recourse for the City to recoup expenses attached to all of this despicable game-playing. Since RICO will hopefully be used by the Feds, perhaps there's some precedent, based on the establishment of an interconnected conspiracy to defraud the City. In reality, it certainly seems so (understatement), but in court, who knows?
All the related activities could be deemed a sort of perverse syndicate of the alleged players, no? Then, hypothetically, all the convicted individuals' combined assets could be pooled for the award(s)-? Perhaps anything that might fall within that scope could then be aggregated, for awarding restitution-? That might then include Russo's long-outstanding felony conviction restitution, the medical insurance fraud, Mason's litigious frivolities/ELEC violations, Corea's alleged felonies, etc., etc. All lumped together.
But then who knows how plea bargains factor in. Then whatever monies awarded, collecting is always another matter, as the Russos demonstrate. Even with good forensic accounting, which one also hopes the Feds will involve. It can also be assumed that someone like Ricky, a partner in a ridiculously successful M&A firm, knows all the in's & out's of "protecting" assets. Hoboken could be looking at more of a Pyrrhic victory, as far as the pocketbook is concerned.
Curious if Not-Stempler has weighed in on this latest legal ploy?