Courtesy of: http://www.newsday.com
A construction company linked to the mob whose owners are accused of lying about their dealings with Bernard Kerik, the former New York police commissioner and one-time nominee for Homeland Security secretary, must stop doing work for Atlantic City casinos, regulators ordered Wednesday.
The action came in a 5-0 vote by the Casino Control Commission to suspend the casino service licenses of Interstate Industrial Corp., of Clifton, and owners Frank and Peter DiTommaso.
The commission has not yet scheduled a hearing on a request by the state Division of Gaming Enforcement to revoke the licenses, commission spokesman Daniel Heneghan said.
The suspension was not opposed by Interstate or the brothers. They have asked that the revocation hearing wait until after perjury charges in New York are resolved, Heneghan said.
The brothers pleaded not guilty in July to New York charges they lied to a grand jury by denying they secretly paid for the bulk of an extensive makeover of Kerik's apartment in the Bronx, N.Y., when he was in charge of city jails. If convicted, they face up to seven years in prison.
In a complaint filed last year, the Division of Gaming Enforcement said the DiTommasos lied to investigators about their knowledge of the 1999 renovation of the apartment owned by Kerik, who then worked in the New York City Department of Corrections and later served as police commissioner.
The division also said it has information about ties between the brothers and the Gambino and DeCavalcante crime families. A company lawyer has said the case is based on discredited testimony.
Kerik, who was New York City police commissioner at the time of the 2001 terrorist attacks, pleaded guilty in June to misdemeanor charges. He admitted breaking conflict-of-interest laws for top officials by accepting a valuable gift _ $165,000 worth of work on his apartment _ from a company seeking business with the city.
He also admitted that he spoke to city regulators about Interstate but never acknowledged a link between the renovations and his discussions about the company. Under the plea deal, Kerik was fined $221,000 but will get no jail time.
Kerik withdrew his Homeland Security nomination within days of being named by President Bush in December 2004. A protege of former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Kerik cited immigration problems with a former nanny. Other reports mentioned extramarital affairs and alleged connections with people suspected of doing business with mobsters.
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