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MUR789300001MARCH 25, 2021 8:00 AMTheodore Mukamal, Esq.Long Island City, NY 11101Federal Election CommissionAttn: Mr. Jeff S. Jordan, Assistant General CounselOffice of General CounselComplaints Examination and Legal Administration1050 First Street, NEWashington, DC 20463EnfComplaint@fe c.govMUR 7893By Mail and E-MailMarch 24, 2021Dear Mr. Jordan:On March 11 , Jorge Dopico, Chief Attorney of the Attorney Grievance Committee, State of NewYork Supreme Court Appellate Division, forwarded documents to you pertaining to violations offederal election law by William B. Wachel, Esq. ("Wachtel"). In his letter, Mr. Dopico asked youroffice to update him on any adverse findings on Wachtel.Shortly thereafter, I received your letter, dated March 15, 2021, with instructions as to how to filea formal complaint with the FEC and am hereby doing so.I am therefore incorporating by reference the entirely of my letter with exhibits dated February 14,2020, which is accurate to my knowledge and to which I have subscribed and sworn.For additional context, I you may wish to review numerous news articles which have publiclysuspected Wachtel of making straw donations dating as far back as 2004."Mr. Ferrer has received 96,700 in campaign contributions that were either solicited by Mr.Wachtel or came from his family or employees of his t-of-bronx.html"His mayoral campaign includes several aides and consultants who have workeg,fM the,,i titute.One of his biggest fund-raisers is the institute's founder, William B. Wachtel,. ,.a' l;lhllnl wy erwho has collect d close to 100,?00 for r. Ferrer and whose college-a# c9 l% R v ea 7 ·. donated the maximum 4,950 to his campaign."2 1: l--\ - - - :. ·. -.' . ;::i\ \ .::.\ :l-,\ , - -.::1 2 · . -) , ,.::·:.:·--· · . ·\, ,'/
MUR789300002s://www.n imes.com/2005/10/20/n onns-base-of-his.htrnlre ion/metrocam ai ns/institute-once-led-b -ferrer-"Contributors included Mr. Wachtel's law partners and in-laws (his wife is a member of the familyfuat owns Zabar's). Among those who contributed the maximum amount 4,950, were severalwomen described in public filings as an "administrator " an "executive assistant" and an"administr tive assistant" at Wachtel and Masyr, and two of Mr. Wachtel ' s sons, age 21 and 19.The d nations have raised eyebrows, largely because those sums are usually given by peoplewhose incomes are well into the six figures, or who have independent means." "Contributions fromlow-level employees or students could potentially raise red flags for our auditors," said aspok eswom for the Campaign Finance Board, Molly Watkins, who declined to comment on thespecific contnbutions." "Two of the women did not return calls seeking comment. A third, Mr.Wachtel's longtime assistant Helen Petulla, said: "All I can say is that Freddy's a great guy, and Ihope he becomes Mayor." She then said she would call back, and didn't.""Mr. Wachtel said hisso s have their own checking accounts, from which they wrote the checks. Asked whether he hadreunbursed any of the donors, Mr. Wachtel said: "Don't be campaign-gets-mccall-man-a-peppy-wachtel/Based on my conversations with Helen Petulla, Wachtel' s executive assistant of over threedecades, on my experience in which Wachtel asked me on multiple occasions to be a straw donorfor him, and on the three occasions in which I observed Wachtel use his daughter, MadelineWachtel, and close friends, Paul Goodman, Esq. and Roy Moskowitz, Esq. as a straw donors, Ican confirm that at least some if not all of the suspected straw donations in these articles in regardto an election for Fernando Ferrer for Mayor of New York City were in fact straw donations. Iknow that Wachtel was highly involved with the campaigns for Bill Bradley for President in 2000and Carl McCall for Governor of the State of New York in 2002.Given Wachtel's decades long practice of using illegal means to influence local and federalelections, the FEC may wish to expedite this investigation and take proper action to ensure thatWachtel is not corrupting any additional elections.Theodore Mukamal, Esq.Subscribed and sworn to before me on this day 24 of March, 2021.State of: 'p.µ 7day-«. '2l .\ County of: ' (
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Theodore Mukamal, Esq. Long Island City, NY 11101 Federal Election Commission Attn: Mr. Jeff S. Jordan, Assistant General Counsel Office of General Counsel
