Federal prosecutors said Thursday that Carl Kruger, the New York state senator charged in a $1 million corruption scandal, received help from people including an "intimate" partner, Manhattan gynecologist Michael Turano.
Kruger, who voted against the marriage equality bill in 2009, is one of eight men arrested in the complex influence-peddling scheme involving lobbyists and developers over the last five years.
The Brooklyn Paper reports that, "According to the FBI complaint filed in Manhattan Federal Court, people looking to gain Kruger's help sent checks to Turano's Olympian Strategic Development Corporation and Bassett Brokerage, a reference to the Mill Island street where Turano, his mother and brother have a the multi-million dollar waterfront home."
Although Michael's mother Dorothy had appeared to be the unmarried Kruger's girlfriend, the complaint alleges that the Brooklyn Democrat had an "intimate relationship" with her son. Following his vote against the marriage equality bill two years ago, gay activists demonstrated outside the home of Kruger and accused him of hiding his gay identity.
According to The Brooklyn Paper, "Intercepting phone messages, FBI agents learned that 'Kruger was in nearly daily contact with Michael Turano' and that the two men spoke to each other 'in a manner that revealed that they relied on and supported one another.' The clear suggestion is that Kruger and Michael Turano are romantically involved."
It remains unclear whether Kruger will keep his seat, but on Thursday he was stripped of his role as the ranking member on the powerful senate finance committee.
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