As part of an ongoing investigation of current and former elected officials in the town of Halfmoon, New York, a suburb of Albany in southern Saratoga County, both the FBI and the New York State Attorney General's Office are now inquiring about a 3.3 acre parcel of land acquired by New York State Senator Kathy Marchione (R - Saratoga County) and her husband in 2007 adjoining their primary residence in Halfmoon. Many accuse the Marchiones of being overpaid for the property by
Robert Marini Builders, which had just received approval to build a 37-lot subdivision in Halfmoon the previous year.
From the Albany Times Union, March 26, 2014:
"The FBI is probing a 2007 land purchase by state Sen. Kathleen Marchione as part of an ongoing investigation of Halfmoon town government."
"The broader investigation, which includes the state attorney general's office, led to the Oct. 17 arrest of then-Halfmoon Supervisor Melinda A. Wormuth on federal charges of extorting cash payments to lobby state officials, including Marchione. Wormuth, who left office in November, also was arrested on state felony charges for allegedly stealing $6,250 from a campaign account."
"...FBI agents asked about the value of the land purchased by the Marchiones. Public records indicate the couple paid $30,000 for the 3.3-acre parcel, which is next to their primary residence in Halfmoon. The parcel was sold to them by Landmark Development Group, a limited liability company affiliated with Marini Builders, which received approval from Halfmoon in 2006 to build a 37-lot, luxury subdivision along Shelbourne Drive. The 3.3-acre lot purchased by the Marchiones was part of the Marini subdivision."
Marchione, a fixture in Halfmoon and Saratoga County politics for over three decades, served a long stint on the Halfmoon Town Board throughout the 1980s and into the early 1990s before being elected Saratoga County Clerk in 1997. In 2012, Marchione won election to the New York State Senate after galvanizing support from Tea Party activists over former State Senator Roy McDonald's (R) vote in support of marriage equality. Over her past term in the State Senate, Marchione has quickly emerged as the one of the most visible faces of the right-wing movement in the state of New York,
garnering significant attention for her online petition against the SAFE Act gun control legislation passed by Governor Andrew Cuomo.
In addition, the FBI and State Attorney General are also inquiring into the political fundraising activities of Halfmoon developer Bruce Tanski, who has long been one of the most high-profile residential and commercial builders in Saratoga County. Tanski, a major contributor to area Republican campaigns, was the single largest contributor to Marchione's 2012 State Senate campaign, where she outspent her Democratic opponent, former Claverack supervisor Robin Andrews by a nearly 5 to 1 margin.
According to Fair Elections of New York, almost a quarter of Marchione's campaign funds came from Mr. Tanski. Former long-time Halfmoon Supervisor Mindy Wormuth is now in the process of being indicted for taking financial bribes from Tanski to lobby both Senator Marchione and State Assemblyman Jim Tedisco (R - Schenectady County) to sponsor legislation legalizing mixed martial arts in New York State.
(From Fair Elections for New York's website)
From the Albany Times Union, September 30, 2013:
"A federal criminal investigation of Halfmoon Supervisor Melinda A. Wormuth is probing whether she secretly accepted money for lobbying on behalf of mixed martial arts legislation and whether she or her family received thousands of dollars from a builder with business before the town government."
"The information comes from multiple people familiar with the case. They said the FBI is focusing on Wormuth's contact with two Republican state lawmakers — Sen. Kathleen Marchione and Assemblyman James Tedisco — related to a bill that passed the Senate but failed in the Assembly and would have legalized mixed martial arts fighting."
"In early May, Wormuth, 46, wrote letters on town letterhead to both Tedisco and Marchione stating she "strongly urge(s) you to support MMA legislation.""
"The office of U.S. Attorney Richard S. Hartunian also has used subpoenas to examine banking records relating to a transaction several years ago in which , sources briefed on the investigation said."
"Wormuth, through the years, has been politically aligned with Marchione, a former Halfmoon supervisor who was the Saratoga County clerk before running for state office last year."
Even despite Marchione's continued reputation for being a controversial right-wing lightning rod, the 43rd State Senate race this year has failed to attract much attention. So far, no Democratic opposition has emerged yet against Marchione and some have even begun to speculate whether the first-term Senator may run unopposed this November. Hopefully, these recent allegations will help to bring fourth some credible opposition out of the woodwork. We could definitely use some cleaner, more moderate, pragmatic representation here in Saratoga County and Upstate New York.