DISTRICT ATTORNEY VANCE ANNOUNCES CONVICTION OF JOHN F. HAGGERTY, JR., AND SPECIAL ELECTION OPERATIONS, LLC
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced that a jury has found JOHN F. HAGGERTY, JR., 42, and SPECIAL ELECTION OPERATIONS, LLC, (“SEO”) guilty of defrauding Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. HAGGERTY was convicted on charges of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree and Money Laundering in the Second Degree in connection with the 2009 mayoral campaign. SEO was convicted of Money Laundering in the Second Degree.
“John Haggerty abused the electoral process to enrich himself,” said District Attorney Vance. “I thank the jurors for their service and careful attention in this case.”
As proven at trial, HAGGERTY, a volunteer for Mayor Bloomberg’s campaign for reelection in 2009, falsely represented to Mayor Bloomberg’s agents and campaign workers that he would arrange for nearly $1.1 million to be spent on an Election Day ballot security and poll watching operation, to be run through the New York State Independence Party. Relying on those false representations, Mayor Bloomberg’s agents approved a contribution of $1.1 million of his personal funds to the Party’s housekeeping account in order to fund the operation. In reality, neither HAGGERTY nor SEO made any expenditure in connection with ballot security and poll watching for Election Day 2009. For its part, the Party spent less than $32,000.
As proven at trial, SPECIAL ELECTION OPERATIONS, LLC was purported to be a vendor for the Election Day operation, to be paid for extensive work by the Independence Party. At the time the work needed to be done, the company had not even been created, and Mayor Bloomberg and his campaign staff did not know about its purported existence or its alleged involvement in the Election Day operation. HAGGERTY created the company on December 3, 2009—one month after Election Day—and within days opened a bank account in the company’s name. On December 11, 2009, the Party wired $750,000 from its housekeeping account to the SPECIAL ELECTION OPERATIONS account. HAGGERTY then used approximately $600,000 of the stolen funds to purchase a home.
After Election Day, HAGGERTY tried to conceal his theft and laundering of the money by falsely telling Mayor Bloomberg’s campaign workers that he had actually made significant expenditures on ballot security and poll watching. To corroborate those false claims, HAGGERTY presented a campaign representative with three bogus paychecks for poll watchers.
District Attorney Vance thanked Assistant District Attorney Eric Seidel, Chief of the Organized Crime Unit, who handled the case with the assistance of Assistant District Attorneys Vanessa Richards and Brian P. Weinberg, Supervising Financial Investigator Matthew Paul, and Trial Preparation Assistant Quentin Morgan. The District Attorney also thanked Investigators Donato Siciliano and Jonathan Reid, who worked on the investigation under the supervision of Chief Investigator John Bilich.
Defendant Information:
JOHN F. HAGGERTY, JR., D.O.B. 1/12/1969
Forest Hills, NY
SPECIAL ELECTION OPERATIONS, LLC
Albany, NY
Convicted:
JOHN F. HAGGERTY, JR.
Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, a class C felony, 1 count.
Money Laundering in the Second Degree, a class C felony, 1 count.
SPECIAL ELECTION OPERATIONS, LLC
Money Laundering in the Second Degree, a class C felony, 1 count.
“John Haggerty abused the electoral process to enrich himself,” said District Attorney Vance. “I thank the jurors for their service and careful attention in this case.”
As proven at trial, HAGGERTY, a volunteer for Mayor Bloomberg’s campaign for reelection in 2009, falsely represented to Mayor Bloomberg’s agents and campaign workers that he would arrange for nearly $1.1 million to be spent on an Election Day ballot security and poll watching operation, to be run through the New York State Independence Party. Relying on those false representations, Mayor Bloomberg’s agents approved a contribution of $1.1 million of his personal funds to the Party’s housekeeping account in order to fund the operation. In reality, neither HAGGERTY nor SEO made any expenditure in connection with ballot security and poll watching for Election Day 2009. For its part, the Party spent less than $32,000.
As proven at trial, SPECIAL ELECTION OPERATIONS, LLC was purported to be a vendor for the Election Day operation, to be paid for extensive work by the Independence Party. At the time the work needed to be done, the company had not even been created, and Mayor Bloomberg and his campaign staff did not know about its purported existence or its alleged involvement in the Election Day operation. HAGGERTY created the company on December 3, 2009—one month after Election Day—and within days opened a bank account in the company’s name. On December 11, 2009, the Party wired $750,000 from its housekeeping account to the SPECIAL ELECTION OPERATIONS account. HAGGERTY then used approximately $600,000 of the stolen funds to purchase a home.
After Election Day, HAGGERTY tried to conceal his theft and laundering of the money by falsely telling Mayor Bloomberg’s campaign workers that he had actually made significant expenditures on ballot security and poll watching. To corroborate those false claims, HAGGERTY presented a campaign representative with three bogus paychecks for poll watchers.
District Attorney Vance thanked Assistant District Attorney Eric Seidel, Chief of the Organized Crime Unit, who handled the case with the assistance of Assistant District Attorneys Vanessa Richards and Brian P. Weinberg, Supervising Financial Investigator Matthew Paul, and Trial Preparation Assistant Quentin Morgan. The District Attorney also thanked Investigators Donato Siciliano and Jonathan Reid, who worked on the investigation under the supervision of Chief Investigator John Bilich.
Defendant Information:
JOHN F. HAGGERTY, JR., D.O.B. 1/12/1969
Forest Hills, NY
SPECIAL ELECTION OPERATIONS, LLC
Albany, NY
Convicted:
JOHN F. HAGGERTY, JR.
Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, a class C felony, 1 count.
Money Laundering in the Second Degree, a class C felony, 1 count.
SPECIAL ELECTION OPERATIONS, LLC
Money Laundering in the Second Degree, a class C felony, 1 count.
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