NEW YORK A2 OCTOBER 11, 2013 www.TheEpochTimes.com/NYC John Liu’s Former Aides Sentenced GARU DU/EPOCH TIMES BY JOSHUA PHILIPP EPOCH TIMES STAFF Everything you need to get to your move-in day. With a Citibank mortgage, you receive exceptional beneﬁts: ■ SureStart® Pre-approval1 lets you house hunt with conﬁdence. ■ Homebuyer’s Advantage2 - Save on closing costs or interest rate. ■ $1,500 On-Time Closing Guarantee.3 ■ Mortgage relationship pricing for Citibank customers.4 Manhattan Downtown Gary Tamboer 201-539-1443 [email protected] NMLS # 726465 Manhattan Midtown-Uptown Lori Ribler 914-217-0817 [email protected] NMLS# 727325 1 SureStart is a registered service mark of Citigroup Inc. Final commitment is subject to veriﬁcation of information, receipt of a satisfactory sales contract on the home you wish to purchase, appraisal and title report, and meeting our customary closing conditions. This offer is not a commitment to lend and is subject to change without notice. There is no charge for the SureStart pre-approval, but standard application and commitment fees apply. 2 Citi’s Homebuyer’s Advantage provides eligible buyers who are purchasing a home with a credit equal to .50% of the loan amount. The credit can be used to pay closing costs or to help lower the interest rate by paying points. The maximum credit cannot exceed $15,000 which is based on a $3,000,000 loan. The credit cannot result in cash back to the customer. The Homebuyer’s Advantage cannot be combined with any other offer and is not available for applications already submitted. Citi reserves the right to change or discontinue this special program at any time. 3 If you are purchasing a home, we guarantee to close by the date speciﬁed in your purchase contract, unless prohibited by federal law,* and further provided that the date is at least 30 days after the application date and the date of your purchase contract. If your loan fails to close on time due to a delay by Citibank, you will receive a credit toward closing costs of $1,500. Offer not available for reﬁnance loans, co-ops, unapproved condos, residences under construction, community lending programs and government loans. In Texas, the credit may not result in your receiving cash back. (*Federal law requires certain disclosures be delivered to the borrower at least 3 business days before consummation. The Guarantee to close does not apply if such disclosures are required and your closing is delayed due to the 3 business-day waiting period.) 4 Minimum combined balance requirements apply. This is not a commitment to lend. All loans are subject to credit and property approval. Certain restrictions may apply on all programs. Terms, conditions and fees for accounts, products, programs and services are subject to change. © 2013 Citibank, N. A. equal housing lender, member FDIC. NMLS# 412915. Citi, Citibank, Arc Design and Citi with Arc Design are registered service marks of Citigroup Inc. Choose from hundreds of luxury furs, leather & cashmere products. Furs: Capes, Ponchos, Scarves, Vests, Jackets, Coats, Hat, fur accessories & more. Leather: Jackets, coats, Gloves, Caps, Leather w/ fur; shearling coats. Cashmere: Capes & Coats with fox trim; 100% Silk , Natural pearl & more NEW YORK—The former aides of New York City comptroller and former mayoral candidate John Liu were sentenced in federal court on Oct. 10. Jia “Jenny” Hou, the former treasurer for Liu’s mayoral campaign, was sentenced by the U.S. States District Court to 10 months in jail and three years under supervision for attempting to commit wire fraud, making false statements, and obstructing justice. Xing Wu “Oliver” Pan was sentenced to four months in jail and three years under supervision for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and attempting to commit wire fraud. The two were found guilty on May 2 after a jury determined they tried to defraud the people of New York City by recruiting straw donors for Liu’s campaign to illegally obtain public matching funds. Under the public matching funds program, an additional $6 is given to a candidate from taxpayer money for every $1 donated. The matching funds apply to individual donations up to $175. Pan apologized before the courtroom for recruiting straw donors. He said he did it believing that by helping his “good friend” John Liu, he would have won Liu as a business client. He said his actions were to “uphold a promise to my good friend.” Hou gave a similar statement where she apologized to friends and family. She cried as she told the courtroom that she was young and inexperienced, and while seeing fraud take place did not have the courage to say, "hey, what's going on here?" Hou, who is not a U.S. citizen, risks being deported back to China. Judge Richard Sullivan empathized with both of them, yet said the nature of their crimes required harsh sentences in order to defend the integrity of the American electoral system. “What makes it a serious crime is that it compromises and undermines an institution that is the cornerstone of free government,” Sullivan said, responding to Hou. Prosecutors Wanted Longer Letters ﬁled with the court that were sent from the pros- Comptroller John Liu’s former treasurer, Jenny Hou (L), exits the United States District Court in Manhattan with her lawyer, Jarold Lefcart, Oct. 10. GARU DU/EPOCH TIMES Oliver Pan (L) in front of the United States District Court in Manhattan on Oct. 10. ecutors to Sullivan recommended longer sentences for Hou and Pan. Similar letters from defense lawyers asked for reduced sentences. One document states Pan’s recommended sentence should be raised from between 4 and 10 months, to between 8 and 14 months. As for Hou, another document states her recommended sentence should be raised from between 18 and 24 months, to between 24 to 30 months. “Based on the extent of Hou’s misconduct, a Guidelines sentence is necessary to reﬂect the seriousness of the offense, to promote respect for the law, to provide just punishment, and to afford adequate deterrence generally to criminal conduct," one of the letters states. Hou and Pan were charged using evidence gathered by the FBI, using an undercover investigator. An undercover agent obtained video and audio evidence of Pan discussing and arranging an event to funnel an illegal contribution into Liu’s campaign through straw donors. The FBI undercover agent posed as a Texas businessman looking to get a New York politician in his pocket by making an illegal contribution. As part of the deal, Pan arranged for a private meeting between Liu and the undercover agent, which was intended to seal the deal. Evidence was also collected against Hou through her email, phone, and chat logs, which the FBI obtained through warrants. It also included campaign documents. Fraud Goes Deeper Liu was denied public matching funds for his mayoral campaign by the Campaign Finance Board (CFB), based on ﬁndings from the FBI, an internal investigation, and a thirdparty investigation. Evidence presented at the trial revealed close to 50 of Liu’s contributions were obtained fraudulently. The CFB reviewed close to 6,500 of Liu’s contributions, and ﬂagged close to 550 of them for potential fraud. A third-party investigation by Thacher Associates investigated 85 of the donations ﬂagged by the CFB and found additional straw donors, unnamed intermediaries, false information, and other problems. The report concluded that there is likely more fraud still to be uncovered in Liu’s campaign. NFL Gives $2 Million for New Playgrounds Mink Knitted Cape $1468 Mink Knitted $889 Poncho $1739 $1129 Mink Knitted Hat $165 Fox Fur Leather Coat $1959 $1370 Fur Hat $215 Mink Knitted Ruffle Cape $2359 Leather Coat $1418 $648 $460 HIMA& PRODI 232 A W 30th St. NYC (btwn 7th & 8th Ave) Phone: 212-869-8619 www.himafurs.com [email protected] BY PETR SVAB EPOCH TIMES STAFF NEW YORK—Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced on Oct. 10 that a host of initiatives for youth will be launched in New York and New Jersey in connection with New York hosting the Super Bowl in 2014. The National Football League (NFL) and the New York and New Jersey Super Bowl Host Committee will grant $2 million to the Snowﬂake Foundation. Five projects funded by the foundation are already underway, with hopes for 25 to 40 more to follow. According to Bloomberg, the Snowﬂake Foundation received close to $5 million in other commitments. “All of those projects will provide city kids with new, healthy, positive community resources, many of them in areas hit hard by the Hurricane Sandy,” All of those projects will provide city kids with new, healthy, positive community resources, many of them in areas hit hard by the Hurricane Sandy. Mayor Michael Bloomberg Bloomberg said. The projects awarded so far amount to about $1.2 million. They include new playgrounds, gyms, and football ﬁelds in all ﬁve boroughs. This month, the Host Committee and the NFL will join the Million Trees NYC program to plant over 25,000 trees at Rockaway Community Park in Queens. Super Bowl organizers said tree plantings will happen in each of the ﬁve boroughs. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, owner of the New York Jets Robert Johnson, coowner of the New York Giants Jonathan Tisch, and the Super Bowl Host Committee President Al Kelly were present for the announcement. The Snowﬂake Youth Foundation is a charity created by the Super Bowl Host Committee to raise funds to renovate and transform after-school facilities in New York and New Jersey. Super Bowl XLVIII will be hosted at the MetLife Stadium on Feb. 2, 2014.