ALBANY -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo's campaign said Tuesday it will donate about $534,000 it received from developers tied to recent corruption trials.
The money will go to unspecified groups that work on causes important to Cuomo, his campaign said.
“Two years ago, the campaign removed these donations and segregated them into a separate account," Cuomo's campaign spokeswoman Abbey Collins said.
"The money is currently in the process of being donated and will be dispersed in the coming days to groups who do important work on behalf of vital causes: immigrant legal defense, women's reproductive health rights, and Puerto Rico recovery efforts.”
Last Thursday, Alain Kaloyeros, the former SUNY Polytechnic Institute president, was convicted along with three upstate developers for rigging the bids for state-funded contracts, including ones associated with the Buffalo Billion effort to revitalize the city.
A $750 million contract to build a Tesla solar-panel manufacturing facility that is the centerpiece of the Buffalo Billion went to LPCiminelli, a Buffalo-based contractor.
Its former president, Louis Ciminelli, was convicted — as were Steven Aiello and Joseph Gerardi, executives with COR Development, a Syracuse-based company that received local contracts.
In a separate case in March, Cuomo's former top aide Joseph Percoco was convicted after taking more than $300,000 from companies with business before the state.
In that case, Aiello was convicted of one felony, and Gerardi was acquitted.
The jury was deadlocked on the fate of another plaintiff Peter Galbraith Kelly, a former executive for Maryland-based Competitive Power Ventures, or CPV.
But Kelly, who helped oversee plans for a power plant in Orange County, later pleaded guilty to avoid a second trial.
All the donations from the players, as well as Todd Howe, a disgraced former lobbyist tied to the schemes, will be donated, Cuomo's campaign said.
Cuomo's office has contended there was no quid pro quo between the campaign cash and his administration, and he has dismissed the contributions' connection to the trials.
But Cynthia Nixon, Cuomo's Democratic primary opponent, mocked Cuomo's decision to donate the campaign cash.
Cuomo reported Monday he had $31 million in his campaign coffers compared to $657,000 for Nixon.
“Just days ago, the governor ridiculously stated that the Buffalo Billion trial had 'nothing to do with any campaign donations,'" said Nixon's spokeswoman Lauren Hitt.
"It took 5 days of pressure from Cynthia Nixon and good-government advocates like former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara for Cuomo to finally admit that the corruption trial had everything to do with his donations and finally return the money."