State Inspector General Joseph Fisch has completed his lengthy probe of the AEG/Aqueduct racino mess and it is a doozy. The 308-page report is well worth a read.

In short, Fisch found Senate Democratic Conference Leader John Sampson, Senate President Malcolm Smith and Sen. Eric Adams may have violated the Public Officers Law in “unduly conferring benefits or favoritism and acting in violation of their public trust,” and has referred his findings to the Legislative Ethics Commission.

He also forwarded his findings to the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, the Manhattan DA’s office and the state Commission on Public Integrity “for review and any action they deem appropriate.”

UPDATE1: From the IG’s press release, which just came out:

“This process was doomed from the start, and at each turn, our state leaders abdicated their public duty, failed to impose ethical restraints and focused on political gain at a cost of millions to New Yorkers,” Fisch said.

“Unfortunately, and shamefully, consideration of what was in the public’s best interest, rather than the political interest of the decision makers, was a matter of militant indifference to them.”

Fisch is harshest on Sampson, who provided key information on the bidding process to AEG through one of its principals, lobbyist and former Sen. Carl Andrews – something to which the Brooklyn Democrat has already admitted.

Another copy was released by Secretary of the Senate Angelo Aponte to “political operative” Hank Sheinkopf, who invoked his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination with the IG, as did suspended Paterson aide, David Johnson.

UPDATE2: CapTon’s Kaitlyn Ross, who is at a Capitol press conference with Fisch, sent this quote from the IG: “Senator Sampson’s testimony was incredible; I stopped counting the number of ‘I don’t recalls’ after 100.”

The report takes Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver to task for failing to put the kibosh on the AEG contract at the outset, instead adding conditions that he knew would tank the deal in the long term.

But Fisch, who is close to Silver, also lauds the speaker for essentially being the only adult in the room as negotiations over the lucrative racino contract went down.

NOTE: A reader pointed out to me that Fisch recused himself from the AEG investigation because he is a gubernatorial appointee, but is nevertheless now involved in releasing its findings – a mere 12 days prior to the general election in which the Senate Democrats will be fighting in hopes of retaining control of the chamber. Interesting.

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