Kruger's Clean In Corruption Case, Says Lawyer
An attorney for State Senator Carl Kruger told Associated Press over the weekend that his client is as clean as a whistle, and no longer the subject of an FBI investigation.
Attorney Benjamin Brafman said he was told by the U.S. Attorney in Brooklyn that Kruger is no longer a target of an inquiry that began in 2008.
“There was never any proof whatsoever that Kruger ever took anything from anybody to do anything,” Brafman said. “I’ve been told by the U.S. Attorney of the Eastern District of New York that he is not a target, and I do not expect him to face charges.”
So far, the U.S. Attorney has yet to confirm or deny Brafman’s assertion that Kruger has been cleared and is no longer the FBI’s target. On Sunday, another AP report noted that a lawyer for Michael Levitis, Rasputin owner and alleged middleman, said: “As late as [Thursday], Levitis was threatened that if he did not cooperate in the investigation against Senator Kruger, he would be charged criminally.” (emphasis added)
Daily News reported last week that Levitis was recorded during an undercover investigation into influence peddling. Levitis allegedly told another local restaurant owner that Kruger’s office could fix his liquor license problems if a campaign contribution and possible fundraiser were arranged. When confronted by federal investigators, Levitis denied the incident ever occurred.
He has since been charged with lying about those conversations when interrogated, suggesting that he refused to cooperate in the investigation into Kruger’s alleged pay-to-play operation.