Disclosure reports: Corzine gave cash gifts to top aides [each gift was kept under $11,000 so that.

Press of Atlantic City ^

[Sub-Driver]

Disclosure reports: Corzine gave cash gifts to top aides The Associated Press Published: Saturday, May 6, 2006 Updated: Saturday, May 6, 2006

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - New Jersey's multimillionaire governor dipped into his personal fortune to give nearly $100,000 cash gifts to top aides late last year, just weeks before his Jan. 17 swearing in, according to recently released financial disclosure reports.

Officials in Gov. Jon S. Corzine's administration acknowledged that each gift was kept under $11,000 so that neither the staffers or Corzine would have to pay taxes.

"A gift is just that, and a number of Jon Corzine's family and friends have received them over the years," Anthony Coley, a Corzine spokesman who received one of the gifts, told The Record of Bergen County for Saturday's editions.

Corzine gave the gifts to nine top aides in his gubernatorial campaign, as well as staff members from his U.S. senate office. All the staffers now work in the governor's office.

[Sub-Driver]

well, well.....this sure stinks of you know what....

[nmh]

Here we go again ... bribing people to get his way.

[avile]

I don't know who is more of ahore -Corzine or his voters.

[avile]

I don't know who is more of a whore -Corzine or his voters.

[nmh]

And history repeats itself:

"Earlier this year, the former Goldman Sachs chief executive spent $5,000 on bail for Karen Golding, a former campaign volunteer and lobbyist charged with stalking a state assemblyman. And during his run for governor, Corzine found himself criticized for paying $470,000 to settle a home mortgage for Carla Katz, a former girlfriend and leader of a labor union for state workers."

[ml/nj]

BFD !

ML/NJ

[GSlob]

"well, well.....this sure stinks of you know what...."
Pecunia non olet. Even his personal pecunia.

[raybbr]

So what? They were his aides and it was his money. So what?

I think Corzine is the worst of the Dems but it was his money. He's free to do whatever he wants to with it.

[connectthedots]

As long as none of it was used for illegal putposes, such as evading campaign finance laws, etc., this is a non-starter even if I think corzine is a slime ball.

[nh1]

What's the difference between a gift and a bonus or even pay, other than the fact that you don't pay taxes on a gift.

I'm thinking I should exchange gifts with clients instead of billing them. I give them my services, they give me money. If they go over the 11k threshold, the gifts can go to my wife or kids. It'll be like Christmas all year long.

[Hildy]

Why does that stink? He did what millions of people do every year in order to avoid taxes. Please explain what's bad about what he did.

[goodnesswins]

Ya know.....dentists, doctors, etc, might like this idea....but, I'm not sure how my insurance company would take to it.....HOWEVER....if I already pay cash, and the insurance doesn't cover the bill...then, hmmmm....maybe it would behoove the doc to give me a DISCOUNT!

[norwaypinesavage]

Where is it written that a payment of less than $11,000 from an employer to an employee isn't taxable, even if came from personal funds?

[Blue Jays]

Hi All-

This is New Jersey we're talking about here, so these are just the gifts that were reported in the newspapers...

~ Blue Jays ~

[OldFriend]

Don't forget the $5,000 in cash he just happened to have in his office when an old flame needed to bailed out of jail.

Corslime is beginning to make Sharp James look honest.

[raybbr]

Where is it written that a payment of less than $11,000 from an employer to an employee isn't taxable, even if came from personal funds?

If it was a gift the IRS has it written.

[American in Singapore]

I didn't read where the guy broke any law... so what if he wants to give money to people that work closest with him and probably are his trusted confidants? I don't see anything wrong with this.

[socialismisinsidious]

"maybe it would behoove the doc to give me a DISCOUNT!"

Can't, by law. Thanks to Hitlery and BJ. If a doctor charges you less than what is charged to an insurance company for the same procedure (does not matter that the insurance company reimburses less than what is charged) then the doctor is committing insurance charge....up to 100K fine and jail time.

[socialismisinsidious]

I want to know how this would help him tax wise....isn't he getting hit by the AMT which means no deductibles (personally I can't wait for more people to get hit by the AMT so that maybe the masses will care to scream about this evil tax!)

How do rich people not get hit by the AMT? Cheney for instance...a few weeks back there was a big deal about how much he made and deducted for charities...um, shouldn't he have been hit by the AMT and not been able to deduct? I just don't get it.

[socialismisinsidious]

"committing insurance charge" should read: committing insurance fraud. It is obviously past my bed time.