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Last year, Percoco, a South Salem resident, was indicted on corruption charges that allege he accepted more than $300,000 in bribes to benefit Competitive Power Ventures, an energy company that sought to build the power plant in the Hudson Valley, and COR Development, a real estate developer that received several sizable state projects.
Cromwell, a resident of Warwick in Orange County, as well as gubernatorial candidate Terry Gipson of Dutchess County and activist Pramilla Malick joined dozens others at the rally in Manhattan, which is protesting the CPV fracked gas plant in Waywayanda that is nearing completion. On Wednesday, they said they sought to “explain how Percoco and associates engineered funding and permitted for CPV.”
The bribes from both, which also included $90,000 a year payments to Percoco's wife, were arranged by Todd Howe, another former aide, infamous lobbyist and close friend of Cuomo, according to court papers. Howe was recently grilled by the defense team during cross-examination, leading to his arrest after he violated the agreements of his plea bargain.
According to the activists, “The Percoco trial is sensational, but beyond ‘bad apple’ bribery and what Todd Howe is wearing, largely missing from reporting on it is context and analysis that connects the evidence and testimony presented with the CPV plant itself.
"The plant, now nearing completion, is being funded by surcharges on the electric bills of New York ratepayers. It poses acute health and environmental threats and will greatly exacerbate climate change. It evaded regulations and laws, and never would have been built without pay-to-play corruption and improper lobbying. Its permitting is inexplicable without the corrupt activities of Percoco and his associates.”
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