Arcuri D24 NY Tied To Spitzer Fundraiser

NY-24: Arcuri Tied to Spitzer Prostitution Scandal Former Fundraiser Under Federal Investigation By Bluey Posted in Congress | Freshman Rep. Michael Arcuri (D-N.Y.) paid $44,000 to a political consultant who is under federal investigation as part of the Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal. The story first broke on a blog in Arcuri's hometown of Utica, N.Y., and is now leading the news in the Upstate New York city.

The woman, 31-year-old Kristian Stiles, began working for Spitzer in her mid-20s doing fundraising work for the disgraced former New York governor. Her connection to Arcuri dates to July 2007, when Arcuri's campaign began paying her $4,000 a month for fundraising work, according to campaign finance records. The timing is critical because it overlaps the period federal authorities were investigating Spitzer for his connection to a prostitution ring. Spitzer resigned on March 12.

Stiles relationship with Arcuri lasted until March 18, 2008, just two days after the New York Times reported that the federal authorities "had requested detailed documentation for thousands of dollars" in transactions between Stiles and Spitzer.

The Arcuri campaign is downplaying the connection, claiming in statement to WKTV: "In March, Arcuri did not have any opposition and it was determined by the campaign that a fundraising consultant in New York City was unnecessary."

A former campaign staffer with knowledge of New York City fundraisers told me they generally work on commission by event, not as consultants. "If you want a fundraiser, you go to the experts, not some 20-something woman," my source said. "Let's see her invoices. Let's see the events she arranged. Let's see the PAC contributions she brought in."

Several unanswered questions remain, most importantly what work Stiles did on behalf of Arcuri, and whether it was similar to the role she played for Spitzer. According to the March 16 article in the New York Times, Stiles relationship with Spitzer was quite unusual:

Campaign finance records show that Ms. Stiles, 31, was paid about $6,460 monthly for her consulting work on the Spitzer 2010 committee, and she was listed as having been reimbursed for nearly $22,000 in expenditures over the last year.

Ms. Stiles frequently made Mr. Spitzer’s travel arrangements and paid with her own credit card, according to a person with knowledge of the campaign’s operations. Ms. Stiles, who often accompanied Mr. Spitzer on trips to coordinate fund-raising events, was comfortable incurring hotel and other charges that would

Kristian Stiles was most recently a political fundraising consultant to disgraced former New York governor Eliot Spitzer. According to the New York Times, she is now being investigated for a possible role in The Emperors Club VIP scandal involving escort Ashley Alexandra Dupré.

The New York Times reported on March 16, 2008, that “Charles E. Clayman, a criminal defense lawyer and a former federal prosecutor, said he was retained by Ms. Stiles’s consulting firm, Stiles Partners, in recent days to represent her and her deputy, Alex James, in connection with the inquiry. ... Before going to work for Mr. Spitzer, Ms. Stiles worked for former Representative Richard A. Gephardt, of Missouri, as a low-level fund-raising official.”[1]

The New York Post reported on December 5, 2006, that Kristian Stiles was one of 49 Spitzer staffers receiving a total of $1.35 million dollars in bonus money after his successful campaign for governor or New York. Stiles received $35,000.

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Arcuri Tied to Spitzer Prostitution Scandal

http://www.redstate.com/stories/congress/ny_24_arcuri_tied_to_spitzer_prostitution_scandal

According to the March 16 NY Times, Stiles relationship with Spitzer was quite unusual: Campaign finance records show that Ms. Stiles, 31, was paid about $6,460 monthly for her consulting work on the Spitzer 2010 committee, and she was listed as having been reimbursed for nearly $22,000 in expenditures over the last year. Ms. Stiles frequently made Mr. Spitzer’s travel arrangements and paid with her own credit card, according to a person with knowledge of the campaign’s operations. Ms. Stiles, who often accompanied Mr. Spitzer on trips to coordinate fund-raising events, was comfortable incurring hotel and other charges.......

Spitler has a history of flim-flamming using shady campaign funds. Prosecutors have records of Spitzer's transactions, phone records and taped conversations with Emperors Club, and are confident they can nail him on violating prostitution laws and money-laundering..... and are also looking into whether Spitzer used campaign funds to pay for his pleasures.

BACKSTORY During Spitler's 1998 AG campaign, he indignantly denied allegations by his GOP opponent, Dennis Vacco (Vacco is a top-notch pro-life conservative), that Spitler's wealthy father had provided millions in loans to his campaign. Candidate Spitzer insisted he was using only his own money (family members are limited by law to $110,000 in total contributions). Spitler accused Vacco of "smearing" his father.

Not until he'd actually taken office did Spitzer admit that Dennis Vacco had been correct. In fact, it turned out Spitzer, despite earlier denials, had done the exact same thing during his unsuccessful 1994 run for AG.

Spitzer falsely claimed during his 1988 campaign that he secured a $5 million campaign loan by mortgaging eight apartments his billionaire developer-father had given him.

As the end of his campaign neared, Spitzer admitted that his father was actually paying off the loans and, therefore, financing his campaign - a possible election-law violation. "I didn't realize how necessary it was to be transparent about every personal financial transaction," Spitzer was quoted as saying in a magazine article.

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REFERENCE The Bernard & Anne Spitzer Charitable Trust Inc.
(Formerly: The Bernard & Anne Spitzer Foundation Inc.)
730 5th Ave----Suite 2202
New York, NY 10019-4105
Telephone: (212) 765-5170

Bernard Spitzer, President; Anne Spitzer, Treasurer.
Board members--Eliot and his brother Dr Daniel Spitzer.

Type of foundation: Independent
Fiscal Date: 12/31/05
Assets: $35,115,418 Total Giving: $578,663
EIN:137298842

Most Recent IRS Filing:
View 0990 FORM http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:l2QSwTcRe2YJ:foundationcenter.org/cgi-bin/ffindershow.cgi%3Fid%3DSPIT004

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Emigre Mark Brener, charged with running the hooker ring, has been held without bail since his arrest on March 6, charged with violations of the Mann Act, money laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to commit interstate transportation in aid of racketeering.

Brener's money-laundering conspiracy, and interstate racketeering could involve one heck of a lot more than johns and whores.

CONNECT THE DOTS Brener's IRS connections, his offshore connections, and far-flung prostitution in New York, Washington, Miami, London and Paris.

Emperor's Club hookers supposedly costing $1,000-$5,500 an hour, were paid for with cash, credit card, wire transfers or money orders. That raises enormous questions about money laundering, IRS fraud and evasion of US banking laws.

On the surface, emigre Brener ran the $5500-an-hour hooker operation and is the alleged mastermind of the high-end Emperors Club.

But Brener was also working another operation---he was certified by the IRS to represent US taxpayers in disputes AND Brener also once worked for the Israeli national tax collection agency.

Brener knew the ropes.

The hooker operation could have facilitated tax evasion through crooked accounting, and/or faking high-priced trysts, then depositing the monies in friendly offshore banks to evade the IRS and US banking laws.......and in Spitzer's case evading the FEC.

Friendly banks might then wire transfer monies on which no taxes were paid to other accounts.

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The beginning of Spitzer’s end can be traced to three banking transfers that left his personal account at the North Fork Bank in New York last spring and summer. For reasons that have not been satisfactorily explained, these payments totaling $15,000 attracted the attention of bank employees who monitor accounts for signs of suspicious activity. (NOTE: After 911, money-laundering laws were significantly tightened, requiring banks to file so-called “suspicious activity reports” whenever there is evidence that clients might be trying to sidestep routine regulations).

Spitzer’s money transfers to a company called QAT International Inc – later revealed to be a front for the Emperors Club – were reportedly considered by the bank to be an attempt to avoid another law that requires all transactions over $10,000 to be reported to the US Treasury.

Breaking down payments with intent to avoid US Treasury reporting is an offense known as “structuring.”

Then-Gov Spitzer’s administration has also been connected to a sophisticated "destroyer program" that erases computer hard drives.

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