Witness Says He ‘Bought Favors’ from Mayor

By AHMED JALLOW

One of Mayor de Blasio’s biggest donors testifying at the federal corruption trial of former union leader Norman Seabrook on Thursday gave a detailed account of how his donations to the mayor led to favors for him, his friends and business interests.

Jona Rechnitz, a 34-year-old real estate developer and star witness for the prosecution of the disgraced former president of the Correction Officer’s Benevolent Association., said he “was giving money to the mayor of New York in exchange for favors”; it was the first time the mayor’s name came up in the closely-watched trial. Local prosecutors earlier this year dropped the investigations into de Blasio’s fund-raising practices but scolded him for skirting ethical lines.

The wealthy donor, for the first time, described how in 2013 then-mayoral candidate de Blasio visited him in his office and wrote down his personal phone number in the back of a business card and “told me to call if there’s anything I need, always be in touch.”

Rechnitz, said he developed a relationship with the mayor and spoke with him at least once a week. “We expect a lot of access,” he said.  “When we called we want answers, we want access,” he added.

Rechnitz also detailed his transaction between him and one of the mayor’s top aides and fundraiser, Ross Offinger. Through Offinger, who served as a middleman between him and the mayor and other city officials, Rechnitz said that his many demands were met. “Whenever we would call for access or for a favor we were getting the response that we expected and the results we were expecting,” he said.

Rechnitz, detailing some of the alleged favors, cited one that happened when a Manhattan building he owns was being cited for illegal AirBnB activities.  Rechnitz said he pointed out the issue to Offinger in hopes of getting it solved.

“I was getting violations in thousands of dollars and I didn’t think that was fair. So I called Ross, and I told him I wanted to get in front of the people who make these decisions so that I don’t have to keep paying these expensive fines.”

Another building he owns was cited for violating fire regulations. The city had an option of shutting down the building as unsafe but instead issued him a fine which Rechnitz paid.

The mayor’s press secretary, Eric Philips, in a statement rebuffed the claims made by Rechnitz.

These are nothing but re-heated, re-packaged accusations that have been extensively reviewed and passed on by authorities at multiple levels,” he said. “The administration never and will never make government decisions based on campaign contributions.”

Rechnitz has been cooperating with the Manhattan U.S Attorney in a corruption probe that resulted in bribery charges against several high ranking cops and Seabrook.

The mayor was also under investigation but the probe was ended in March when U.S Attorney Joon Kim said he would not bring charges, but not before pointing out that the mayor had intervened on behalf of big donors.