Kushner Cos. sells some of portfolio

Realty firm positions itself in anticipation of exec's imprisonment Sunday, January 16, 2005 BY GEORGE E. JORDAN Star-Ledger Staff

Alan Hammer, acting chairman of Kushner Cos., said the real estate venture is selling some of its apartments simply because it is a good time to sell.

The sale of an unspecified number of apartments, the backbone of the Kushner empire, with estimated assets of $3 billion, comes as the company has quietly sold off other pieces of its real estate portfolio and shut down some of its fledgling enterprises.

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/state/ny-bc-nj--contributorcharge0113jan13,0,2437763.story?coll=ny-region-apnewjersey

Torricelli among officials writing in support of disgraced donor

NEWARK, N.J. -- No stranger to scandal, former U.S. Sen. Robert G. Torricelli took time this fall to write a federal judge seeking leniency for embattled Democratic benefactor Charles B. Kushner, one of the party's most prolific donors.

"Thousands of people in this state live better lives and found a hand of rescue in Charlie Kushner's generosity and spirit of charity," Torricelli wrote about a man he described as his "business partner, confidante, political ally" and friend of 20 years.

Torricelli's letter was among seven from current or former officials sent on behalf of Kushner that were made public Thursday by U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares, who is to sentence the real estate mogul on March 4.

Kushner pleaded guilty in August to retaliating against his brother-in-law, a witness in a federal investigation into Kushner's donations and business, by having a prostitute seduce the man. Kushner then sent a tape of the encounter to the man's wife _ Kushner's sister. He also pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations and 16 counts of filing false tax returns for various partnerships affiliated with his company, avoiding up to $325,000 in taxes.

The judge on Wednesday released 165 of the 750 letters he received supporting Kushner, including pleas for mercy from Kushner, his wife and children. Also writing were the Roman Catholic archbishop of Newark, John J. Myers; his predecessor, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington, D.C.; Kushner's employees and several rabbis.

Linares said about 500 other letters were not released because they were not cited in legal papers submitted by the defense. The letters, as well as sentencing memos from prosecutors and defense lawyers, were made public following requests from two newspapers, The Star-Ledger of Newark and The Record of Bergen County.

Torricelli, whose Senate campaign received $1,000 from Kushner in 1999, quit his 2002 re-election bid after the Senate Ethics Committee criticized his dealings with another donor, David Chang.

Kushner has given more than $1 million to Democrats since 1997, and was the top donor for former Gov. James E. McGreevey's successful gubernatorial race. McGreevey, who resigned in November amid several scandals, did not send a letter to Linares and did not return a message seeking comment.

Many letter writers cited Kushner's willingness to hire those in need, but none appear to mention one hire who played a role in McGreevey's ouster: Golan Cipel.

In August, a month after Kushner was charged, McGreevey announced he was a "gay American," said he had an extramarital homosexual affair and that he would resign Nov. 15. Sources close to McGreevey identified the man in the affair as Cipel, an Israeli the governor had appointed to a state homeland security job.

Kushner sponsored the work visa that allowed Cipel to come to the United States and gave him a $30,000-a-year job in public relations with one of his companies before Cipel got a state job.

Cipel maintains he is not gay, and, through his lawyer, has denied McGreevey's claims and accused the governor of sexual harassment.

Among the letters released Thursday was one from Kushner's lifelong friend, Martin J. Silverstein, now the U.S. ambassador to Uruguay, and another from Robert Abrams, who was New York attorney general for 15 years and cited Kushner's "breathtaking" philanthropy.

Also writing was former Newark Councilman Cory A. Booker, who said his unsuccessful mayoral campaign in 2002 received a "generous" donation from Kushner, despite McGreevey's support for the incumbent, Sharpe James. The amount of the donation was not noted and Booker did not return a message seeking comment.

Two officials from Kushner's current home of Livingston wrote letters, including former Mayor Eleonore Kessler Cohen. She said his gifts to the town "are always done quietly and frequently, anonymously." The contributions included the town's 9-11 memorial and an electric score board for the Little League.

Another writer was Bruce A. Blakeman, a board member of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, where McGreevey had attempted to install Kushner as chairman. Kushner "has shown true remorse and regret," said Blakeman, former presiding officer of the Nassau County, N.Y., legislature.

Kushner, 50, remains free on $5 million bail pending sentencing. His lawyers maintain that his compassion and generosity merit the lowest possible sentence, 18 months in prison.

Prosecutors, however, said he should get the maximum of 33 months, arguing that Kushner has failed to accept responsibility for his crimes by continuing to thwart investigators seeking documents from his businesses. They also said he has yet to account for copies of the videotape he sent to his sister.

After pleading guilty, Kushner resigned as chairman of The Kushner Companies, a Florham Park firm valued at more than $1 billion. It owns or manages 20,000 apartments in New Jersey and several other states, builds 500 to 1,000 new homes a year and has commercial properties in New York, Newark, Jersey City, Plainsboro, Hoboken and several other localities.

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