Schneiderman: Alleged SUNY Poly bid-rigging ‘unusual in its brazenness’

In detailing state charges related to bid-rigging against SUNY Polytechnic Institute President and CEO Alain Kaloyeros and prominent Albany developer Joseph Nicolla on Thursday, state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman called the alleged scheme he says the men engaged in “stupid” and “unusual in its brazenness.”

“This is remarkable,” he said with a twinge of shock in his voice. “This is an explicit agreement for a kickback. … It certainly reflects an arrogance and a sense that these folks really were above the law and that they were acting in an unconstrained way to abuse their power and enrich themselves.”

Schneiderman, as U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara similarly said earlier in the day in announcing federal corruption charges against among others Kaloyeros, said that the complaint brought on Thursday does not implicate Gov. Andrew Cuomo. He declined to comment on if others in state government who may have been higher than Kaloyeros on the state food chain knew about what was going on.

“It’s an ongoing investigation,” he said. “Today we’re just bringing charges against Kaloyeros and Nicolla. But it is an ongoing investigation that potentially involves others.”

Read more: http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/267734/schneiderman-alleged-suny-poly-bid-rigging-unusual-in-its-brazenness/