IG report: Former Yonkers Council president violated New York state penal law, city ethics code

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A new report says former Yonkers City Council President Michael Khader violated New York state penal law, created a hostile work environment and other related wrongdoings. In documents released this week and obtained by News 12, the Yonkers Inspector General's Office issued its conclusions in an independent, four-year investigation. According to the findings, Khader received rent-free office space for his city-paid counsel's law firm – Smith, Buss and Jacobs – from about March 2017 to about December 2018, in violation of City of Yonkers ethics code. The report says the arrangement constituted a "quid pro quo" relationship in which Khader benefitted from a rent-free law office and that the paid counsel, Jeff Buss, received and benefitted from a city contract from Khader. "The City Council did receive the inspector general's independent report yesterday, and the findings are troubling," said current Yonkers City Council President Lakesha Collins-Bellamy, Esq. She is now demanding that Khader be held fully accountable. "To find that Mike Khader, my predecessor, used taxpayer funds to fund his private practice and to receive free rent is quite disturbing, and I'm calling on Mike Khader to reimburse the city for the over $11,000 in services he received using taxpayer funds," Collins-Bellamy says. Khader sent News 12 a statement regarding the IG report: "It appears that the Yonkers Inspector General's office, led by Liam McLaughlin, whom I defeated in the race for President of the City Council, paid for and managed this report. He is once again using his office as a tool for revenge and political intrigue. A city-funded "report" that neither I nor my attorney have received, but is circulating on the internet, is now attempting to revive false and baseless allegations against me. The timing of these unfounded reports is highly suspicious and indicative of another political witch hunt aimed at discouraging effective, honest, and promising citizens from running for office. Though the primary isn't until next summer, it seems the "silly season" has started early for some. Yonkers has long been mocked as "the city of hills where nothing is on the level," and it's due to dirty political tactics like these that seek to intimidate potential candidates, misuse public tax dollars for political gain, and misinfom the public. It's time to rid Yonkers of such practices and focus on the important issues that affect the good people of our city." The full report is being turned over to the City of Yonkers for further investigation and possible criminal prosecution. "