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Hartford West Indian Club's Financial Records Subpoenaed
By JEFFREY B. COHEN And STEVEN GOODE
Courant Staff Writers
September 12, 2008
State criminal investigators probing allegations of political corruption at city hall have subpoenaed financial records from thecity's West Indian Social Club and its charitable foundation, anattorney for the club confirmed Thursday.
'Theyare seeking information about deposits made from January 2004 topresent date,' said Sydney Schulman, the attorney representing thesocial club and its West Indian Foundation. 'My understanding is thatit's not related to the club or the foundation at all. It has to dowith the ongoing [Hartford] investigation.'
For nearly a year,Mayor Eddie A. Perez has been the focus of a state investigatory grandjury — which continued hearing testimony Thursday in Superior Court inNew Britain. The city's school reconstruction project and no-bid dealsfor at least one political ally of the mayor have been subjects of theinvestigators, as has work performed on the homes of city officials bycity contractor Carlos Costa, who has done millions of dollars in workin the city remaking Park Street and working in city garages.
InAugust 2007, investigators searched Perez's home looking forinformation on roughly $20,000 in kitchen and bathroom work done therein 2006 by Costa. No permits were pulled for the job, and Perez didn'tpay the bill until July 2007.
Investigators have also askedabout work on a driveway for city employee Edward Lazu — who oversawCosta's contract compliance with minority-hiring regulations on hisPark Street work.
And last month, those same investigatorssearched the home of city Councilwoman Veronica Airey-Wilson lookingfor information about work Costa did there, too.
Airey-Wilson, aRepublican running for state Senate who nearly two decades ago waselected the social club's first female president, has said that shebought the counters at Costa's showroom and that someone from hiscompany installed them.
She has also said that she intended tohave more work done, but stopped it before it was finished. Shewouldn't say why, or how much she paid Costa for the work. She has saidshe has 'nothing to hide.'
The West Indian Social Club wasfounded in 1950, according to its website; its charitable foundationwas formed by the club in 1978.
By JEFFREY B. COHEN And STEVEN GOODE
Courant Staff Writers
September 12, 2008
State criminal investigators probing allegations of political corruption at city hall have subpoenaed financial records from thecity's West Indian Social Club and its charitable foundation, anattorney for the club confirmed Thursday.
'Theyare seeking information about deposits made from January 2004 topresent date,' said Sydney Schulman, the attorney representing thesocial club and its West Indian Foundation. 'My understanding is thatit's not related to the club or the foundation at all. It has to dowith the ongoing [Hartford] investigation.'
For nearly a year,Mayor Eddie A. Perez has been the focus of a state investigatory grandjury — which continued hearing testimony Thursday in Superior Court inNew Britain. The city's school reconstruction project and no-bid dealsfor at least one political ally of the mayor have been subjects of theinvestigators, as has work performed on the homes of city officials bycity contractor Carlos Costa, who has done millions of dollars in workin the city remaking Park Street and working in city garages.
InAugust 2007, investigators searched Perez's home looking forinformation on roughly $20,000 in kitchen and bathroom work done therein 2006 by Costa. No permits were pulled for the job, and Perez didn'tpay the bill until July 2007.
Investigators have also askedabout work on a driveway for city employee Edward Lazu — who oversawCosta's contract compliance with minority-hiring regulations on hisPark Street work.
And last month, those same investigatorssearched the home of city Councilwoman Veronica Airey-Wilson lookingfor information about work Costa did there, too.
Airey-Wilson, aRepublican running for state Senate who nearly two decades ago waselected the social club's first female president, has said that shebought the counters at Costa's showroom and that someone from hiscompany installed them.
She has also said that she intended tohave more work done, but stopped it before it was finished. Shewouldn't say why, or how much she paid Costa for the work. She has saidshe has 'nothing to hide.'
The West Indian Social Club wasfounded in 1950, according to its website; its charitable foundationwas formed by the club in 1978.
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