The high-end fund-raisers raking in dough for mayoral candidate
Christine Quinn look more like a rogues gallery.

Quinn’s “bundlers” — those who host events to collect large-sum
campaign contributions for political candidates — include a former
insurance executive who was just released from federal prison and a
former Columbia University professor charged with incest, according
to a review of her campaign finances.

She also relied on donations from a restaurant honcho who was
accused in a federal class-action lawsuit of allegedly failing to
pay his employees the minimum wage — which Quinn wants raised in the
state — and overtime, records show.

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The high-end fund-raisers raking in dough for mayoral candidate
Christine Quinn look more like a rogues gallery.

Quinn’s “bundlers” — those who host events to collect large-sum
campaign contributions for political candidates — include a former
insurance executive who was just released from federal prison and a
former Columbia University professor charged with incest, according
to a review of her campaign finances.

She also relied on donations from a restaurant honcho who was
accused in a federal class-action lawsuit of allegedly failing to
pay his employees the minimum wage — which Quinn wants raised in the
state — and overtime, records show.

Together, the trio took in $61,245 for Quinn, the City Council
speaker who is leading her Democratic opponents in fund-raising.

Quinn’s bid for Gracie Mansion got a $24,350 boost from Brian
Madden, the president and co-founder of the now-defunct Liberty
Title Agency. Madden was released from federal prison last month
after serving a year-and-a-half for embezzlement and wire fraud.

The money was raised in 2007 — three years before Madden pleaded
guilty — but Quinn’s campaign indicated she has no plans to return
it. She did, however, return a $4,950 contribution from Madden
himself.

Madden’s executives also donated to the campaign of mayoral
candidate Bill Thompson, and Madden himself gave a contribution to
Anthony Weiner — all before Madden’s conviction. They did not return
the money.

“The contributions were received years ago, and in line with our
campaign policy, we returned any donations from anyone who was
convicted of wrongdoing,” said Quinn campaign spokesman Mike Morey.

Quinn also got $13,825 in donations from a fund-raiser co-hosted by
David Epstein, a former Columbia professor charged in 2010 with
felony incest for allegedly engaging in a three-year consensual
relationship with his adult daughter.

Epstein pleaded guilty to misdemeanor attempted incest.

His attorney even questioned the difference between incest and
homosexuality in Epstein’s defense.

“It’s OK for homosexuals to do whatever they want in their own home.
How is this so different?” attorney Matthew Galluzzo asked at the
time.

Another Quinn bundler is Simon Oren, a restaurateur who runs Sushi
Samba and Five Napkin Burger. He was accused in a federal class-
action suit by his kitchen workers of failing to pay minimum wage
and overtime. Oren raised $23,070 for Quinn.

Ironically, another Quinn bundler is Steve Nislick, the man behind
the effort to ban horse-drawn carriages in the city.

His group has since turned on Quinn for her defense of the carriage
industry and is funding a series of ad buys against her. Quinn
returned Nislick’s personal donation but she never gave back the
money he raised on her behalf.

https://nypost.com/2013/06/05/this-columbia-prof-convicted-of-
attempted-incest-is-just-one-of-the-shady-bundlers-raising-big-
money-for-christine-quinn/