Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Feds Want Losing Bidders To Cooperate In Aqueduct Probe
By
Ben Muessig
Published Feb 18, 2010
Modified Feb 18, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Ben Muessig
Published Feb 18, 2010
Modified Feb 18, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Federal investigators are trying to convince the casino operators who were snubbed by Gov. Paterson in favor of a politically-connected bidder to cooperate in a probe of the Aqueduct Racetrack deal. "The [Manhattan U.S. Attorney's office] said, 'We're contemplating a further inquiry into the racino bid process: If we go ahead with that, would you guys be willing to cooperate with us?'" a bidder, whose company's slot machine plan was rejected, told the Daily News. "We said that it wasn't much of a process, but, yes, if you ask us to, of course we'd cooperate."
Paterson has been criticized for choosing the Aqueduct Entertainment Group, purportedly in an attempt to win the political support of minor shareholder Rev. Floyd Flake. The Governor denies those allegations and insists that the federal investigation is not related to the "racino" deal. Documents released to the public reveal that AEG initially stated it would produce the least revenue of any of the six candidates, then five days later revised its bid to say it would make the most money. James Featherstonhaugh, an investor in losing bidder Delaware North, told the tabloid: "I'm not a great believer of coincidence and the timing of that strikes me as pretty transparent."
Tagged
aqueduct
aqueduct entertainment group
bidder
federal investigators
floyd flake
gov. david paterson
investigation
paterson
Probe
race track
racino
Ben Muessig
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Tompkins Square Park is getting a makeover. Some say it's too much.
Some regulars at the East Village park want to preserve its not-so-fancy offerings.
By
Willow Higgins
Published Oct 17, 2026 at 7:00 a.m. ET
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
Mid-October through mid-December is deer mating season, which can be a danger to drivers as the sex-seeking creatures cross roadways throughout the Garden State.
By
Rosemary Misdary
News
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
Mid-October through mid-December is deer mating season, which can be a danger to drivers as the sex-seeking creatures cross roadways throughout the Garden State.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
By
Samantha Max
Inside the plan to fix the nearly collapsed Pfizer Building, 1/64th of an inch at a time
By
David Brand
School bus carrying autistic students got lost in Brooklyn for 4 hours last year
By
Jessica Gould
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .