One way you can advantage your family as governor is to let them know in advance that there will be a major renovation of a commuter rail station that will vastly increase the value of the surrounding property. Then, your brother can form an alliance with some preexisting building outfit that is also a major donor to the Republican Party, and they can snap up a bunch of property, renovating it modestly or building a new dwelling, and then sell it at an enormous profit. Never mind that these builders do not specialize in doing modest upgrades of low-grade residential properties.
Nelson Ferreira, the third partner, is owner of Ferreira Construction, which was paid nearly $10 million in public contracts by state transportation agencies in 2012, records show. The firm serves as a construction manager at the World Trade Center site and has done heavy highway construction throughout New Jersey and Florida. Nelson Ferreira has also donated thousands to the Republican Governors Association led by [Gov. Chris] Christie and was appointed by the governor to a state board that oversees borrowing to pay for the state’s network of roadways, railways and other transportation assets.
In comparison to the million-dollar contract work undertaken by Ferreira Construction, the Harrison projects seem small. They are mostly newly built homes crammed into narrow lots and sold for less than a half-million dollars.
Yes, the Ferreiras teamed up with Todd Christie, the governor’s brother, to flip a bunch of residential housing, just like any schlub could do throughout the Aughts if they could cobble together a couple hundred grand for seed money. But they had the advantage of knowing exactly where to buy.
Why would the Ferreiras take time out from renovating the World Trade Center complex to flip a few houses in Harrison, New Jersey with the governor’s brother?
This is such low-level stuff that it hardly qualifies as news, but it’s still corrupt.
well it’s nice pocket change, free $$, for his brother. One thing that strikes me is how Christie rapidly put in ppl who owe him, in all kinds of positions all over the state. and since I’m on the topic, I find it striking looking at pictures from 5 yrs ago (not just the high school pictures) how much weight he gained up to 2013 when he evidently had lap band – so was he under alot of stress? does he owe someone else?
His Godfather?
I wonder, and wonder who it might be
It seems that the rot and vengence in his administration ran the gamut from petty to major.
Why would the Ferreiras take time out from renovating the World Trade Center complex to flip a few houses in Harrison, New Jersey with the governor’s brother?
Because they could get the money for the project and Christie’s brother couldn’t by himself?
Todd Christie is a wealthy man — having sold his stock management company to Goldman Sachs when Paulson was the CEO (after he’d ousted Jon Corzine). Todd’s operation within GS wasn’t a winner — considered a POS by many.
It wouldn’t be money but local construction/development connections that Nelson Ferriera brought to the partnership.
This is the GOP. Not having a conflict of interest just means you’re not really a playa.
When Christie was an US Atty did he not put someone in jail for doing this same thing?
But these are the kind of chiselers who would take the pennies off a corpse’s eyes or steal out of a blind beggar’s cup (h/t Pete Seeger, “Talking Union”). These are people who get a tear in their eye and a lump in their throat when the Grinch leaves a morsel that’s even too small for a mouse. Most of their chagrin being that they’d take the morsel, too.
But listen to them howl when you suggest they pay an extra three cents on the dollar in taxes on their “earnings.”
Linking two Christie scandals.
AshBritt Inc. and Ferriera. Florida cleanup firm’s political ties sweep across N.J. AshBritt is that Florida company that got many no-bid Hurricane Sandy clean-up contracts. Big stink in NJ over that. In part because their high prices and inconsistent performance However,
AshBritt subcontracts the work.
Just to make all this more complicated, Moran was a top Corzine aide and is married to the mayor of Belmar, Matthew Doherty.
While Ferreira Constuction is listed at #252 in the latest ENR’s top contractors, it’s unclear what its rank was before. It’s a fairly new company in the construction industry having only been established in 1988. Heavy engineering contractors generally have much older roots. (Bechtel 1898) Should also note that if not for public dollars, heavy engineering contractors would starve; that’s why most of the owners are Republicans.
FWIW – Ferreira Construction.
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OT, but news will hit networks rest of the day …
○ CNN: Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito found guilty in murder of British student Meredith Kercher in Italy.
This case is an outstanding example of the difference between the Northern European legal tradition (which the US follows) and the Southern European legal tradition derived from the Romans. While, I think it more likely than not that Amanda Knox is guilty, I’m not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt. In the Nordic-Germanic-English-American system that means she goes free with one trial, at least only one in the USA. In Italy, there can be numerous bites of the apple from the prosecution and the prisoner is guilty until proven innocent. The numerous trials with verdicts flipping back and forth are a farce.
Again, I think she is guilty but this case, to me, proves the need to bar double jeopardy. It makes me glad to be an American.
The 4th trial! In the third trial, the Italian Supreme Court overturned the acquittal ruling in 2013, sending the case back for re-trial.
The land of Berlusconi will postpone an extradiction request until this verdict stands in Italy’s highest court.
○ Still guilty: Italy upholds verdict against 23 CIA agents in rendition trial
No wonder my grandparents left Italy!
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Everybody knows that Spiro T. Agnew resigned from the Vice-Presidency in disgrace, but few have been told the details because of the passage of time. We used to joke at the time, because the MD governor’s salary was pathetically low, that the real compensation package was about $15K a year and all you could steal. Agnew must have thought the claim was true. He was accused of taking bribes valued at about $270K (1968 dollars) and finally pleaded out on about $30K (1968 dollars) in unreported income. As a former resident of MD at the time, I recall that income came from a land deal involving the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, which Agnew could influence as the Governor of MD. Correct the numbers for inflation (about 10X for simplicity sake) and it means Agnew got nailed for about $2.7M in bribes overall and about $300K pleaded nolo contendere. The amounts don’t have to be princely to prove you’re corrupt. Ideally, the amounts should be great enough that you could flee the country to a nation with no extradition treaty with the US, which seems to have eluded Agnew as well. There’s nothing quite like being driven from office for peanuts, literally.