Word: biaggi
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...biggest headlines were produced in New York City last week as another federal grand jury investigating Wedtech indicted seven men, including Bronx Democratic Congressman Mario Biaggi and his son, on a variety of extortion, racketeering and conspiracy charges. The 84-page indictment depicted Wedtech as a racketeering enterprise dependent on bribes to public officials to win no-bid minority contracts...
Prosecutors claim that Biaggi received $3.6 million in Wedtech stock after threatening to undermine the SBA's support for the company. Among those indicted was a former SBA regional administrator who is alleged to have approved a sham arrangement masking the fact that Wedtech no longer had majority Hispanic ownership. "If Wedtech was the proverbial American success story," said U.S. Attorney Rudolph Giuliani, "these charges raise serious questions about the way we practice politics and conduct business in the city, state and nation...
...minority-owned company. When the local SBA office began proceedings to remove the company from the set-aside program, Wedtech's officers quickly worked out an agreement to transfer 1.8 million shares of stock to Mariotta's nominal control. Wedtech turned to the law firm of Richard Biaggi, son and former partner of South Bronx Congressman Mario Biaggi. Biaggi's firm received more than $1 million in fees and stock over the years for representing Wedtech. The SBA later approved Wedtech's stock transfer and allowed it to remain eligible for minority contracts...
...years on the New York City police force and 18 years in Congress, Mario Biaggi received ten decorations for wounds suffered in the line of duty and overcame a runaway horse and several government investigations. Now the Bronx Democrat may be facing the toughest threat yet to his survival: last week he was indicted on federal charges of bribery, conspiracy and obstruction of justice. Biaggi, 69, is accused of accepting Florida vacations from former Brooklyn Democratic Leader Meade Esposito in return for lobbying on behalf of a financially troubled Brooklyn ship-repair company. If convicted, Biaggi faces...
Kennedy and Biaggi will face formidable opposition from those who claim that an increase will only lead to higher unemployment and inflation. Hiking the minimum has a ripple effect on the pay scale, says Mark A. de Bernardo, manager of labor law at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "When you raise somebody's wages by a dollar," says De Bernardo, "then those people who are making a dollar more have to be raised as well." Higher labor costs to employers, he contends, will lead to higher prices and less service for consumers. Moreover, employers would fire laborers to make ends...