Probes into alleged corruption by former members and associates of the Cuomo administration deepened, as the Attorney General’s office conducted a raid at SUNY Polytechnic Institute offices in Albany on Thursday afternoon.
A spokesman for SUNY Poly said the college “cooperated fully” with New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s “request to search an office.”
SUNY Poly confirmed that the office had been used by lobbyist Todd Howe until recently. Cuomo administration officials have acknowledged that Howe is one of two people who are a target of a federal probe.
Howe, who is close to the Cuomo family, represented numerous developers and other companies that were competing for or awarded contracts in big upstate development projects, including the Buffalo Billion.
SUNY Poly, through third-party entities, arranged for the contracts for many of the development projects.
Since subpoenas were issued by federal prosecutors in late April, Cuomo and his staff have cut off all contact with Howe. Howe was employed until recently by a subsidiary of Albany law firm Whiteman, Osterman and Hannah, but has since been removed from his post.
A source with knowledge of the investigation says the attorney general’s probe is part of a broader investigation into SUNY Poly’s bidding process and its relationship with various players and developers.
The Albany Times Union reported earlier this month that Schneiderman was looking into potential bid-rigging in the proposed building of a new dormitory near the SUNY Poly and SUNY Albany campuses.