Results tagged “money”

A custodian at a city school in Harlem allegedly stole $29,000 from the school's payroll and used some of the cash to send his kids to a costly prep school in Pennsylvania. Edwin Hendricks, 42, reportedly confessed to withdrawing the cash from a Thurgood Marshall Academy custodial account that he was supposed to monitor, but said he "normally only stole money around the end of the year." more ›

A new book, The Devil's Casino: Friendship, Betrayal and the High Stakes Games Played Inside Lehman Brothers, depicts the lives of Lehman Brothers wives as pampered, yes, but also lonely and rather mundane. One wife gave "tours of her vast shoes closets," and lived with her husband Joe Gregory on an annual personal budget of $15 million. They had both "a seaplane and a helicopter ready for the daily commute," but beyond all that stuff, keeping up appearances was simply exhausting. more ›

A sneaky cabbie cheated nearly $40,000 out of passengers in a six month period, in what authorities are saying might be the biggest rider rip-off ever. Wasim Khalid Cheema, 22, of Brooklyn, overcharged 574 passengers in a single month alone, according to the News. Cheema was able to pull off the passenger heist by manipulating his meter manually; he switched to out-of-city rates (Westchester, Nassau) for rides within city limits (the suburban rate is double the city rate). In the month of July 2009, "Cheema earned $11,499 for 642 trips that month. The other driver who shared his cab made only $4,803 for 439 trips," according to the Post. more ›

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver won't approve the controversial selection of a politically-linked casino company to operate slot machines at the Aqueduct Racetrack until state officials conclude their investigation of the deal. Without Silver's signature, the project is on hold. "[E]verything should wait until that information is available," he told the Daily News. "[W]hat's important is we know we're signing on to something that's appropriate, and if not, we're not going to." It's unclear when the state inspector general will finish his probe of the Aqueduct deal, which is also being investigated by federal authorities. Any delays could cause the state to miss out on $300 million needed to close the growing budget gap. more ›

Gov. Paterson's controversial selection of a politically-connected casino company to operate slot machines at the Aqueduct Racetrack could delay a payment of $300 million to the state—widening the Albany budget shortfall to more than $2 billion as the fiscal year nears its end. "For at least five years, the state has counted on revenue from an Aqueduct deal to balance the budget," said Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. "We're still waiting to collect." more ›

The double homicide that took the lives of a Marine Park husband and wife remains unsolved, but authorities are expected to arraign four individuals for money scams connected with the 2008 execution-style killings. So far, no one has been indicted for shooting and killing lawyers Christina Petrowski-Schwartz, 48, and Mark Schwartz, 50, in their Brooklyn home—but investigators believe the killings were connected with "wide-ranging financial scams" that might have involved the deceased attorneys. more ›

The charity accused of fleecing Hurricane Katrina victims out of over $30,000 never gave survivors "a dime," according to a New Orleans local tapped with finding the neediest storm victims. "These people came down here, sold a good story and didn't deliver," said Louis Rainey. "We didn't get the funds ... We never got a dime." more ›

The politically-connected casino operator chosen to bring slot machines to the Aqueduct Racetrack beat out its rivals by claiming the other bidders would cater to crowds that were too young or too classy for Queens. Documents released to the public in an effort to quell the controversy surrounding Gov. Paterson's selection of the Aqueduct Entertainment Group also reveal that the company was picked even though it initially said it would net the least amount of money for the state. Paterson has been accused of choosing the group to win the political support of AEG shareholder Rev. Floyd Flake. more ›

Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli thinks he's found a hidden pocket of funds that may help solve city schools' financial woes—problem is the money's locked away tight where no one can get to it. An audit revealed $615 million reserved for school employees to get accrued sick and leave time when they leave their jobs that, through some sort of mix-up, can't be accessed. more ›

The staff of an embattled Queens nonprofit overlaps closely with the payroll of state Sen. Malcolm Smith, one of the charity's founders. At least four workers at the New Direction Local Development Group—which is under federal investigation and allegedly fleeced Hurricane Katrina victims out of about $30,000 raised on their behalf—have also worked for Smith at a time when the politician gave the organization about $56,000 in state funds. more ›

Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Queens) can't seem to catch a break. Already under scrutiny for his ties to a nonprofit under federal investigation for its role in a controversial plan to bring slot machines to the Aqueduct Race Track and accused of scamming Hurricane Katrina victims, Meeks is taking fire for using campaign cash to pay longtime supporters. more ›

The commissioner of the city's Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications has agreed to give back $2,800 after skirting taxes by claiming two residences as her permanent address—one of them in Florida. While working for the city, Commissioner Carole Post had been declaring Florida residency and taking advantage of a tax exemption intended for full-time Florida residents, allowing her and her husband to avoid some taxes on their multimillion dollar West Palm Beach property. more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] Councilman Larry Seabrook (D-Bronx) has reportedly been hit with a 13-count indictment on federal charges of money laundering, conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, mail and wire fraud, extortion, and receiving an unlawful gratuity. Insiders told the Times that the Democrat—who represents Wakefield, Co-op City, Edenwald, Williamsbridge and Baychester—is suspected of helping a boiler company obtain city contracts. more ›

Former terror trial supporter and current terror trial opponent Mayor Bloomberg asked the federal government to offer some kind of guarantee that it would cover the costs of bringing Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other suspected 9/11 plotters to justice in New York City. According to the Washington Post, Bloomberg said he is skeptical "because a lot of times the federal government promises to pay and then the monies don't come." more ›

In a year when charitable giving dropped among the nation's wealthiest people, Mayor Bloomberg handed out $254 million in donations—making him not only richest man in New York City but also the country's fourth biggest giver. According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Bloomberg—who is worth an estimated $17.5 billion—donated money to 1,358 different nonprofits and dedicated $125 million to help six charities devise a plan to help reduce traffic accidents in developing countries. more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] The hits keep coming in the trial of Natavia Lowery, who is accused of bludgeoning her former boss Linda Stein to death in 2007. But before we get to yesterday's testimony from Stein's ex-husband, music producer Seymour Stein, there's something else that has come to our attention. more ›

The long-awaited plans to turn Governors Island into a public space and convert the piers beneath the promenade in Brooklyn Heights into Brooklyn Bridge Park have been set back by a lengthy squabble between the city and the state. Last spring, Mayor Bloomberg said he wanted full control of both projects, which are currently being jointly developed by the city and the state. He even offered $300 million in funding to get the projects, but thanks to "bureaucratic BS at its finest," the two sides have yet to reach a deal. more ›

The state's budget might be the least of Governor Paterson's monetary woes. New filings reveal that Paterson has just $620,000 in available cash to spend on the upcoming Democratic primary, while his likely rival Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has a whopping $12 million on hand. With Cuomo sitting on nearly 20 times as much money as Paterson, insiders are already saying the Governor doesn't stand a chance. "A governor with $600,000 on hand less than a year before the general election is a dead duck," said Democratic political consultant Hank Sheinkopf. more ›

Attorney General and likely gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo has been netting huge contributions from major real estate interests — a group that some allege Cuomo's office has been hesitant to prosecute. Over the past three years, Cuomo has bolstered his substantial warchest by $18 million with money from land holders and developers including Stuyvesant Town defaulters Tishman Speyer, Atlantic Yards planner Bruce Ratner, and embattled builder Shaya Boymelgreen. But some say he's been less than responsive when faced with complaints against real estate interests. more ›

The League of Humane Voters of New York City, who have long been lobbying to ban carriage horses from Central Park, has just suffered a bit of an upset. The animal-rights group has just been handed a $104,290 fine for not filing lobbying reports with the city clerk. more ›

Shocking. Con Ed reportedly charges the highest residential rates of any major utility in the 48 contiguous states. The only people who pay more live in Alaska, Hawaii, Fishers and Block Islands. more ›

Didn't this happen with Friends once? The cast of Jersey Shore said the were sticking together and giving MTV an all-or-nothing fight during contract negotiations—wanting more money per episode to return for a 2nd season. But as we noted yesterday, the network called their bluff and allegedly mentioned replacing the cast with new guidos and guidettes this time around. Now TMZ reports that two cast members, Ronnie and J-WOWW, have agreed to $10K an episode, while the others want more more more! (The Hills cast gets $100K per episode and has lower ratings.) MTV hopes to close the deals today, and a source told the website that they will replace anyone who doesn't accept the offer. Hmm... Brad Ferro seems available. more ›

Even though Mayor Bloomberg says he might be forced to lay off 18,500 city workers—including 8,500 teachers, 3,150 police officers, and 1,050 firefighters—he has hired 15 members of his campaign staff. The Times notes that as the Mayor calls for "a leaner government that reflects the economic downturn, he is finding money in the budget for those who engineered his unexpectedly close re-election," paying many of the City Hall newcomers six-figure salaries and allowing several other city workers who left their jobs to work on the campaign to return to their posts with higher pay. more ›

This is just sad. The Bronx neighborhoods of Morrisania, Mott Haven and Bedford Park have a larger percentage of households suffering from hunger than any other urban area in the nation, according to a new study [PDF]. Researchers also determined that a swath of Brooklyn consisting of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brownsville, Canarsie and East New York has the country's sixth highest rate of hunger. more ›

The Jersey Shore cast is taking advantage of their instant fame and cashing in wherever they can. We already know they're making $10,000 per public appearance, but now they're asking for that same amount per episode for the second season (they received a few hundred per episode the first season). According to the NY Post, they're arguing the cast of The Hills, which rates lower, get $100,000 per episode. They're sticking together, saying if they don't get what they want, none of them will return. Snooki also mentioned she's looking to hire a bodyguard, noting: "When we try to go to TGI Friday's or Applebee's, we can't eat because people go crazy." (Just think of all the buffalo wings they'll be able to get with the new pay increase!) And if you're planning to check out Pauly D tonight at Sutton Place, don't expect the rest of the cast to be there — they've been invited to P. Diddy's son's birthday party. more ›

You've heard of slush funds, but what about lulus? Lulus are stipends given to members of City Council who lead committees, allowing politicians to take on a little extra responsibility and take home as much as $28,000 per year in extra cash on top of their $112,500 salaries. Critics say the money is really a payout to those who are loyal to Council Speaker Christine Quinn. more ›

According to new census data, men profit financially from tying the knot, where forty years ago, they lost out. The findings reflect a change in marital attitudes over the last 40 years—where once women sought to find a rich guy and live off his wad, working wives are the trend of today. The takeaway: In today's desperate economy, men should spend less time sending out resumes and more time applying for well-compensated positions as husbands. more ›

Every year, New York City drivers lose about 44 hours of their time and $1,900 of their money to poorly maintained roads, according to a new study. The average motorist pays $638 to repair automotive damage caused by shoddy streets, while the rest of the money goes towards "wasted gas, medical fees and lost productivity," the reports indicates. more ›

Mayor Bloomberg has been a vocal supporter of charter schools, but he says a new bill that would double the number of charter schools allowed in the state is "a wolf in sheep's clothing." Though the new legislation would increase the number of charter schools permitted in New York from 200 to 400, it would also add restrictions that would require greater openness from charter schools, bar for-profit corporations from opening them, and give public school parents the power to stop charters from moving into public school buildings — restrictions the Mayor claims would halt their expansion. more ›

Yesterday it was confirmed that Conan would likely be leaving NBC with a nice settlement and the freedom to pursue opportunities at other networks. Last night the Wall Street Journal reported that the two parties are close to closing in on a final agreement, with a financial settlement that could put $25M to $40M in Conan's pockets. The deal is reportedly going to be reached this weekend — a meeting was scheduled for this morning. more ›