Probe of Paul Clark campaign for Erie County DA expands to unaccounted funds
Donors suspected of disguising their identities
The investigation into Paul T. Clark’s campaign for county executive has expanded to several donors suspected of disguising their identities or failing to report major contributions.
District Attorney Frank J. Clark said his office continues to subpoena records of last year’s campaign, which so far leaves “tens of thousands of dollars” unaccounted for.
“There appears to be people who contributed to the campaign, and their names never appeared,” the prosecutor said. “Their intention was to disguise certain donors.”
The district attorney, who is not related to the former candidate, said he was unsure whether felony charges will result but said his 10-month probe of Paul Clark’s campaign has extended beyond two bags stuffed with $20,000 in cash that campaign volunteer Michael W. Mullins exchanged with a marketing consultant.
“There are aggregate factors where some charges could reach the felony level,” the top prosecutor said, adding that the FBI is aware of his probe and is cooperating.
The district attorney also said two key campaign officials— Roger J. Peck Jr. and Timothy M. Clark, the candidate’s brother and chairman of the Buffalo Niagara Film Commission, as well as the West Seneca Democratic Committee — are under scrutiny.
“Believe me,” he said, “Peck is of interest.”
The district attorney also said that the joint probe by his office and the FBI has determined the whereabouts of Erie County computers thought to be missing last year and no is longer on his radar screen. But he previously reported that the last campaign of former County Executive Joel A. Giambra had loaned the Paul Clark campaign old computers without disclosing the in-kind contributions.
At the time, Giambra said he was unaware of the computer contributions, authorized by his campaign staff.
Paul Clark, who lost the Democratic primary for county executive to former Deputy County Executive James P. Keane, retired last December as West Seneca supervisor and returned to his private accounting firm.
Since The Buffalo News first reported the story last October, the district attorney has been probing allegations that, on Paul Clark’s behalf, Mullins had paid the cash to Donald L. Turchiarelli, a Buffalo marketing consultant, to avoid required financial disclosure to the state Board of Elections.
Mullins, who lives in Clarence and runs a Buffalo home health care business, also said he paid an office secretary about $8,000 to keep her salary off the books,
He also raised several other questions that might point to violations of election law.
“The total amount of money was in excess of $50,000 for these activities,“ Mullins told the district attorney in a December letter. “Nothing was ever reported to the New York State Board of Elections; all expenses were in cash.”
Mullins told investigators last December that Peck financed neighborhood newspaper ads outside the campaign, including a controversial ad in the Challenger, a black newspaper, that featured a noose and was deemed to have racial implications.
Peck, the president of a West Seneca energy consulting firm that does business with the town, was Paul Clark’s biggest contributor.
The district attorney, meanwhile, said then that he expected to quiz Web site owner Joseph
J. Illuzzi about any dealings with the Paul Clark campaign or its representatives. Mullins claimed Peck financed the Internet campaign Illuzzi waged against Keane, who defeated Paul Clark in the Democratic primary.
The district attorney said Mullins, whose revelations to The News sparked the probe, has acknowledged violating election law by making payments in $10, $20 and $100 bills to Turchiarelli.
He also emphasized that the allegations he is investigating are not the result of “an inexperienced [campaign] treasurer.” Rather, the probe, which he said he expected to wrap up next month, focuses on efforts to disguise the identify of certain donors.
Herbert L. Greenman, Paul Clark’s attorney, did not return a call seeking comment. Paul Clark said early in the probe that he would not discuss the charges but blamed the situation on Mullins. He described Mullins as an overzealous volunteer engaged in activities unknown to top campaign officials.
