Mystery “Developer 1” in Silver case said to be Glenwood’s Leonard Litwin

Federal charges appear to cite state's top political donor

From left: Leonard Litwin, Preet Bharara and Sheldon Silver
From left: Leonard Litwin, Preet Bharara and Sheldon Silver

The unnamed real estate developer cited in a criminal complaint charging Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver with corruption is most likely Glenwood Management’s Leonard Litwin.

Crain’s reported this afternoon that the complaint, in which Southern District U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara accuses Silver of using his political power to line his own pockets with millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks from law firm Goldberg & Iryami, cites an unnamed “Developer 1” who was the largest political donor on the state level since 2005.

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The 100-year-old Litwin spent the most money on political donations during that time, as The Real Deal reported. Crain’s also made a connection between Litwin and the $900,000 Developer 1 paid to eight lobbying firms.

The complaint also calls out another developer, “Developer 2,” though this developer’s identity was not immediately clear. Together, 19 buildings owned by the two developers brought in more than 31 percent of Goldberg & Iryami’s revenue in 2011, according to the complaint.

 

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