Convicted donor says de Blasio should have testified against developer
Former Borough Park police liaison and Bill de Blasio donor
Jeremy Reichberg, who was sentenced to four years in prison in May for his
role in an NYPD corruption scheme, is appealing his sentence — and argues that
the mayor should have been a witness in the case.
Reichberg’s lawyer claims that “speculative assertions”
from his former partner, real estate developer Jona Rechnitz of JSR Capital,
“confused and inflamed” the jury, and that allowing de Blasio to be called as a
witness would have provided balance to Rechnitz’s testimony.
“Because the defense was unable to call de Blasio to
testify, the defense could not erase the prejudice caused by Rechnitz’s
speculative assertions,” according to court documents first reported on by the
New York Post. “The notoriety of the alleged bribe recipient and the highly
publicized nature of Rechnitz’s claims alone warranted enforcing the defense’s
subpoena to de Blasio.”
Rechnitz became a key witness in the trial after pleading
guilty to honest-services wire fraud in 2016. Reichberg was found guilty on
four of five counts of conspiracy, bribery and obstruction of justice in
January.
As part of the decade-old corruption scheme, Reichberg
provided high-ranking New York Police Department officers with gifts as well as
trips to Israel and Las Vegas in exchange for favors — such as shutting down
part of the Lincoln Tunnel for “diamond king” Lev Leviev. Rechnitz had worked
at Leviev’s firm, Africa Israel, prior to founding JSR Capital in 2010.
Reichberg and Rechnitz both were named to de Blasio’s inauguration
committee — a traditional bone thrown to major donors — and the mayor was known
to respond rapidly to Rechnitz’s requests for help with real estate problems.
De Blasio has denied the claims and called Rechnitz a “liar.”
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