THE WORLD READS WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER — 8,324,077 VISITS IN ONE YEAR

WPCNR FBI WIRE. From the Federal Bureau of Investigation. July 2, 2014:

France’s largest bank—and the fourth largest financial institution in the world—has admitted to large-scale, systematic exploitation of the American financial system on behalf of countries facing U.S. economic sanctions (such as Sudan, Iran, and Cuba) and has agreed to pay record penalties of nearly $9 billion.

BNP Paribas (BNPP), a global financial institution headquartered in Paris, has admitted its role in violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Trading with the Enemy Act by processing billions of dollars of transactions through the U.S. financial system on behalf of entities subject to U.S. economic sanctions.

“BNP Paribas went to elaborate lengths to conceal prohibited transactions, cover its tracks, and deceive U.S. authorities,” noted Attorney General Eric Holder during a press conference yesterday at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. “These actions represent a serious breach of U.S. law.”

According to documents released yesterday, from 2004 until 2012, BNPP illegally moved more than $8.8 billion through the U.S. financial system on behalf of sanctioned entities and used a variety of schemes to conceal the true nature of the transactions from U.S. regulators.

For example, BNPP routed illegal payments through third-party financial institutions to conceal the involvement of the sanctioned entities as well as BNPP’s role in the transactions. In addition, the bank instructed other financial institutions not to mention the names of sanctioned entities in payments sent through the U.S. and removed references to those entities from payment messages, thereby enabling the funds to pass through the U.S. financial system undetected.

“The significant financial penalties imposed on BNP Paribas send a powerful deterrent message to any company that places its profits ahead of its adherence to the law,” said FBI Director James Comey. “We will continue to work closely with our federal and state partners to ensure compliance with U.S. banking laws to promote integrity across financial institutions and to safeguard our national security.”

During the course of the more than four-year investigation, FBI agents from our New York Division and criminal investigators from the Internal Revenue Service reviewed scores of financial documents and e-mails to unravel the illicit activity and made numerous trips overseas to interview people with knowledge of the transactions.

The majority of illegal payments were made on behalf of sanctioned entities in Sudan, which was subject to U.S. embargo based on the Sudanese government’s role in facilitating terrorism and committing human rights abuses. BNPP processed approximately $6.4 billion through the U.S. on behalf of Sudanese sanctioned entities between 2006 and 2007, including approximately $4 billion on behalf of a financial institution owned by the government of Sudan, even as internal e-mails showed BNPP employees expressing concern about the bank’s role assisting the Sudanese government.

In March 2007, a senior compliance officer at BNPP wrote to other high-level BNPP employees reminding them that certain Sudanese banks BNPP was dealing with “play a pivotal part in the support of the Sudanese government which … has hosted Osama Bin Laden and refuses the United Nations intervention in Darfur.”

The case against BNPP “should send a strong message to any institution anywhere in the world that does business in the United States,” Attorney General Holder said. “Illegal conduct will simply not be tolerated.”

WPCNR IT HAPPENED IN OLD WHITE PLAINS. An excerpt from the White Plains Historical Society publication, IT HAPPENED IN OLD WHITE PLAINS by Renoda Hoffman. Published with permission of the Society:

Editor’s Note: Former Councilman and Mayor Michael J. Keating who died Sunday, figured prominently in a tumultuous period in White Plains history. As White Plains historian, Renoda Hoffman recounts in the White Plains Historical Society book, It Happened in Old White Plains: Here is her account of Mr. Keating’s role in the events of the mid-1970s  that changed White Plains politics in her book:

Carl J. Delfino became the city’s eleventh mayor when he took office on New Year’s Day in 1974. Hospitalized for a Toer infection five days later, he suffered a stroke  on January 18^th and did not return to his home until March where he remained incommunicado.

Council President Harry Gordon, who had been acting Mayor, resigned on May 3^rd, reducing the Common Council to four members, two Republicans and two Democrats. This was followed by so much debating and in-fighting that no agreement on either an acting or interim mayor could be reached.

On May 22, 1974, a State Supreme Court justice ruled that Democrat Michael J. Keating should, as senior councilman, perform as acting Mayor. This settled only one problem.

A Special Election held in July put two more Democrats on the Counil. Mary Ann Keenan  and Wirth Koenig joined fellow Democrats Keating and Alfred Del Vecchio in opposition to Republicans Michael M. Coffey and William Rose, Jr.

On July 18^th, Mayor (Carl) Delfino’s resignation was submitted, but nine days before the resignation was to become effective, Delfino died, aged 53. His loss was a shock to the entire community.

On August  14^th ,1974, the Democratic Party nominated Keating as their candidate to run for mayor in November. But agreement on who should assume the duties of interim  mayor for the next five months could not be reached. Names were presented to  the council and rejected by tie vote.

To break the deadlock, the name of Richard Maass was presented to the council. Maass was a well-known Democrat respected by bnoth parties and well qualified, although he had never held elective office.

Unexpectedly, Councilman Rose switched his vote to break the tie and the city had its twelfth mayor. On August 20^th, 1974. Maass, a 56-year-old investment and real estate  broker, became the first Democrat to serve as mayor since Ffarrington Thompson’s term ended in 1921.

Four months of bitter political fighting was over.

In the November special election, 36-year-old  Michael Keating, an attorney, Philadelphia-born and resident of White Plains for 13 years, was elected mayor. On January 1^st, 1975, he was sworn in to complete Delfino’s unexpired term.

In the fall of 1975, (the Mayor’s term then being just two years an election was held  for the next two year Mayor), Councilman Alfred Del  Vecchio, 52-year-old  professional engineer, professor of mechanical engineering at Manhattan College, and Democrat-turned-Republican defeated Keating by a slim margin.

Two years later in 1977, Del Veccho became the city’s first four-year mayor upon passage of a local law amending the city charter. He was re-elected to four-year terms in 1981 and 1985.

Editor’s note: In 1993, with Mayor Del Vecchio seeking a sixth term , Mr. Keating  and Michael Coffey would challenge Mr. Del Vecchio in a Republican Primary in October. Mr. Coffey won and secured  the Republican nomination. against Democrat Sy Schulman. Mr. Del Vecchio was nominated to run on the Conservative line. In the three man race,  Mr. Del Vecchio and Mr. Coffey split the Republican vote and Mr. Schulman won ending Mr. Del Vecchio’s 18 years as Mayor of White Plains. Ms. Hoffman’s book and other exclusive publications and historical items  may be purchased at the White Plains Historical Society Gift shop, at http://www.whiteplainshistory.org/giftshop.html