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https:// www.cityandstateny.com/articles/politics/new-york-state-articles/steve-pigeon-arrested.html
Last year Pigeon’s home – as well as the homes of Chris Grant, the former chief of staff to Rep. Chris Collins, and former Deputy Mayor of Buffalo Steve Casey, neither of whom have been charged – were raided as part of the investigation.
Emails gleaned from those raids showed arrangements between Michalek and Pigeon, who had business before the judge, as did Pigeon’s political and business allies. Michalek asked Pigeon to help him get appointed to the state Supreme Court’s appellate division and to help relatives find jobs, something Pigeon said he would try to do. In addition, Pigeon gifted box tickets to Buffalo Sabres games to the judge and secured a seat to a $1,000-a-plate fundraiser for Gov. Andrew Cuomo, taken by one of Michalek’s relatives. In exchange, the judge passed along information and advice on trials he was overseeing to Pigeon, according to court documents.
The indictment against Pigeon and Michalek’s plea deal do not conclude the probe, which both Schneiderman and FBI representatives described as “ongoing.”
“This was not the only part of the investigation,” Schneiderman said.
Pigeon, the one time chair of the Erie County Democratic Committee, has for two decades developed relationships with powerful New York political and business figures, including Cuomo, billionaire Paychex owner B. Thomas Golisano and former Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita, who recently became a state Supreme Court judge. During that time he has often been the subject of controversy, faced multiple accusations of skirting election law and used dirty political tactics often aimed at members of his own party with whom he was warring. Pigeon also became embroiled as a key figure in the infamous state Senate coup of 2009, which essentially shut down the Capitol for almost a month.
https:// news.littlesis.org/2009/06/09/the-cult-behind-the-coup/
Schneiderman said that situations like that which developed between Michalek and Pigeon not only dishonor the judiciary and political system, but they dissuade good people from participating in government, whether that be through voting or running for office themselves.