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Now Espada's (Allegedly) Stiffing His Tailor
By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 19, 2010
Modified Aug 19, 2010
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By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 19, 2010
Modified Aug 19, 2010
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State Senator Pedro Espada Jr., who was last seen literally throwing money away, has earned the enmity of a tailor who says he made $7,200 worth of threads for Espada and never received payment. Vijay Rajkumar, owner of Custom Men in midtown, claims he made and delivered Espada's $1,200-a-piece suits last year without taking an upfront payment or deposit, telling the Daily News, "I'm a small tailor, usually I don't do this, but I thought that he's a senator, where's he going to run away? That was my biggest mistake." But Espada says it should be obvious to everyone that Rajkumar is lying, because he's talking to the press.
"The facts are obviously in my favor or else he wouldn't be trying to try this in the media," Espada tells the media. The Bronxchester senator claims he sent the suits back to Rajkumar for alterations, and that's the last he saw of them. But Rajkumar says he never received the suits, and points to a recent photo of Espada: "He says he doesn't have them and he's wearing them!" Fed up, Rajkumar turned the matter over to a collection agency, which is now suing Espada, just like everyone else.
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pedro espada
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John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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