According to a report at Capital, Anthony Bonomo, Chair of the New York Racing Association Reorganization Board, heads the unidentified medical malpractice insurer that provided a no-show job to the son of Dean Skelos. The allegation concerning the insurer was not part of the complaint that led to the arrests of both Dean and Adam Skelos earlier this month, but was raised publicly for the first time in an indictment against the two men brought Thursday by U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara.
For those not following the latest major scandal to hit Albany’s state house, Dean Skelos, now the former leader of the state Senate, allegedly extorted a major real estate developer to provide money to his son Dean in the form of no-show jobs in exchange for favorable treatment on legislation important to the developer. Two pieces of such legislation are due to expire, and are now part of the discussions in the effort to close out the legislative session in June. They are a major tax break known as “421-a” and proposed changes to the rent protection law for tenants.
Until the indictments, the allegations against Skelos concerned his extorting the real estate developer and an environmental technology company with connections to the developer. The indictment, however, also alleges that Dean Skelos also secured for Adam:
“Over $100,000 in payments and health benefits from a medical malpractice insurer who provided ADAM SKELOS with a no-show job while actively lobbying DEAN SKELOS on legislative matters.”
Reporter Laura Nahmias states that “multiple sources” informed Capital that the unnamed firm is likely Physicians Reciprocal Insurers, whose CEO is Anthony Bonomo. Neither P.R.I. nor Bonomo returned calls from Capital.
Nahmias goes on to describe Bonomo, members of his family and P.R.I. as one of the largest 25 political contributors in the state, having donated $877,000 in just the 2014 election cycle. The largest beneficiary of their largesse was Governor Cuomo. Cuomo selected Bonomo to chair the NYRA reorganization Board in April.
There is no allegation in the indictment of wrongdoing by the “medical malpractice insurer,” let alone Bonomo. The complaint leading to the arrests of both Skelos was replete with detail, including quotes from intercepted telephone conversations. The indictment repeats many of those details. Curiously, there are no such details concerning the “medical malpractice insurer” except for the above quotation.
Tom Noonan 