Charles Gargano

was a top fundraiser for Al D'Amato and George Pataki. Federal prosecutors had subpoenaed Gargano to determine how millions of dollars in state grants, loans and contracts went to major GOP donors... Gargano was involved with several dubious companies when Pataki put him in charge of the Empire State Development Corp.(ESDC) in 1994, the New York Times later reported.

from 1995 - From the outset, the governor must make sure his own executive branch is squeaky clean. His administration got off to a good start with its push to drive organized crime out of the Javits Center. But unfortunately, some of his appointees have already engaged in questionable conduct. Charles Gargano, commissioner of the Department of Economic Development, and Peter Delaney, who heads the Department of General Services, have both raised campaign funds from companies that have or are seeking contracts with the state, according to the New York Times.

Gargano continues to serve as a Republican Party fundraiser, though he is simultaneously in the position of awarding millions of dollars in state contracts. One case in point should illustrate how the latest twist in this time-honored political game plays out. A Rockland County developer, frustrated by several failed attempts to build a Shopping Mall, contributed $25,000 to the Republican State Committee. After phone calls from Gargano to two state agencies, the project was cleared. A month later, the developer sent Governor George Pataki's personal campaign fund a $3,000 contribution.

The Empire State Development Corporation, run by long-time Pataki associate Charles Gargano, controls 90 authorities, including the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, the New York Convention Center Development Corporation (the Javits Center) and the Pennsylvania Station Redevelopment Corporation (Penn Station, the new rail station).