#Feds subpoena top lobbyist with ties to Carl Heastie

Federal prosecutors have subpoenaed an influential lobbyist and Democratic fundraiser who is a close pal and former college roommate of Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie as part of a public corruption probe, a report said Friday.

Investigators from the Southern District of New York have also sought records from two clients of the lobbyist, Patrick Jenkins, as well as an unnamed state agency, the New York Times reported.

Jenkins, a longtime friend and former college roommate to Heastie, has worked closely with the Bronx Democrat, including as a political consultant who was paid more than $1,000 a month last year, the Times reported.

Neither Heastie nor Jenkins have been accused of wrongdoing — and a person close to Jenkins told the Times that he was not the target of the investigation.

The clients who were subpoenaed along with Jenkins included Draftkings, an online fantasy sports betting platform, and del Lago Resort & Casino in Seneca County. A state agency also received a subpoena related to Jenkins’ private sector work, the Times reported.

Jenkins’ lobbying business increased drastically as Heastie rose to power in Albany, receiving more than $3 million in compensation in 2019, compared to just $37,500 in 2014, according to the Times.

In 2016, Heastie was paying Jenkins some $4,000 a month, even as he was lobbying on behalf of a long list of clients who had interests in the state legislature, the Post reported at the time.

The public corruption probe is one of several currently cooking in Albany. Investigators in the Eastern District of New York are currently investigating Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s handling of nursing home deaths amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Heastie himself has launched an impeachment inquiry into Cuomo for alleged sexual harassment of staffers and other women in his orbit.