By Howard Koplowitz
State Sen. Shirley Huntley (D-St. Albans) is under federal investigation, a legislative source familiar with the probe said.
While the source could not say exactly why federal investigators were looking at Huntley, the New York Post reported the southeast Queens senator received a federal subpoena in connection with $400,000 in member items she helped steer toward a nonprofit connected to her family and friends.
Neither Huntley nor her attorney, Mark Pollard, would comment.
Both the Manhattan and Brooklyn U.S. attorneys have ongoing probes into Huntley, the Post said, but it was unclear whether the two offices were investigating the same matters.
The source said the investigation comes as Gov. Andrew Cuomo has called on legislators who are attorneys and have clients who do business with the state to disclose their clients as well as how much they are getting paid.
The federal investigation follows subpoenas issued by state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to the nonprofit Parent Information Network Inc., which is run by Huntley’s daughter, Pamela Corley, according to the Associated Press, and received $400,000 in member item funding from the state Assembly between 1993 and 2008 and another $30,000 from Huntley in 2008.
Another subpoena from Schneiderman’s office was received by the group Parent Information, which Huntley created before she was elected in 2006 and was formerly run by one of her staffers, the AP said.
Campaign finance records show Corley and Savage were paid thousands of dollars by Huntley for various events over the last couple of years.
In July, Corley was paid $1,000 for consulting, the next month she was paid $5,000 for polls and in September she was paid $2,400 for “office” and more than $37,000 for wages, according to state campaign finance records.
Savage was paid $425 in July 2009 for campaign literature, $974 in September 2009 and $1,100 in December 2009 for fund-raising, campaign finance records show.
In January, she was paid more than $573 for office expenses, a month later she was paid $400 for a census kickoff and in November she was paid $200 for refreshments and $5,000 the next month for consulting services, according to campaign finance records.
Reach reporter Howard Koplowitz by e-mail at hkoplowitz@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4573.
