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New York’s Parole Board is simply a patronage mill stuffed pinch leftist ideologues and governmental has-beens who each rake successful an astounding $190,000 yearly — including astatine slightest 1 personnel who joined a cold-blooded killer.
A Post introspection of the 16 members — whose salaries person skyrocketed 87% since 2019, moreover arsenic they freed 43 bull killers successful nan past 8 years — is almost arsenic disturbing arsenic their pro-criminal decisions.
Heading nan database is Tana Agostini.
She utilized her clout arsenic a staffer of nan authorities Assembly committee overseeing prisons successful 2013 to technologist nan parole of Thomas O’Sullivan — whose three-decade situation stint for nan hired 1982 execution of a Queens supplier trader included an flight and biting disconnected portion of an inmate’s nose.
Agostini fell successful emotion pinch and joined O’Sullivan while he was successful situation and successfully pressed nan Parole Board to free her husband.
In 2017, then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo tapped Agostini to service connected nan board.
She’s among 11 Democratic cronies nan NYC mayoral frontrunner appointed aliases re-appointed to nan panel.
All are still serving arsenic holdovers — immoderate nether position that expired much than 5 years ago.
The existent committee is besides filled pinch erstwhile lefty authorities legislators, Legal Aid Society lawyers, nationalist defenders and different longtime prisoner-rights advocates.
A fistful of ex-parole and probation officers and erstwhile prosecutors information retired nan group.
Cuomo “stacked nan parole committee pinch his leftist friends who person nary appreciation for nan sacrifice our constabulary make, and it is conscionable horrific and inexcusable that his committee has released 43 convicted bull killers,” erstwhile Gov. George Pataki told The Post.
The Republican called Cuomo’s appointees different illustration of his “abject nonaccomplishment arsenic politician to understand nan effect of convulsive crime,” which besides includes Cuomo signing arguable bail betterment into rule successful 2019 wide blamed for New York’s rising recidivism rates.
“It’s difficult for maine to judge that anyone who cares astir nationalist information aliases protecting nan constabulary who consequence their lives for our information could person allowed this to hap — but Andrew Cuomo surely did,” Pataki said.
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The committee began its activity of releasing cop-killers successful 2017, aft Cuomo reshaped really it decides whether to assistance parole.
The caller guidelines, which were backed by wide activists, require nan committee to see an inmate’s “progress” down bars, arsenic good arsenic their consequence to society, pinch specified factors outweighing nan egregiousness of nan original crime, sources told The Post.
The committee besides considers age. Many paroled inmates person been 60 aliases older.
Murderer David McClary — nan ruthless gangbanger who assassinated rookie NYPD bull Edward Byrne successful Queens successful 1988 connected nan orders of a supplier kingpin — could go nan 44th bull slayer freed by nan committee erstwhile he heads earlier nan it later this month, The Post exclusively reported past week.
Being a parole committee personnel became lucrative nether Cuomo, pinch salaries soaring 67% done 2 abstracted raises — going from $101,600 to $170,000 by 2021.
Board members nether Hochul received an further 12% raise successful January, bringing their wide net to $190,000. The salary hike was approved successful November by nan authorities Commission of Legislative, Judicial and Executive Compensation arsenic portion of a larger package that included fat raises for commissioners and committee members astatine different authorities agencies.
The immense salary hike comes arsenic nan board’s workload is apparently decreasing.
The committee handled 11,336 cases successful 2022 — down 45% from 20,504 4 years earlier, according to a legislative study released past year. There are 2 much committee members now than successful 2022, but still short of nan 19-member capacity. Current information connected cases was not instantly available.
The $190,000-a-year net is an “insane magnitude to salary group whose only qualification is that they’ll merchandise each criminal they meet,” fumed a seasoned NYPD cop.
“There are plentifulness of erstwhile cops who could do a amended and fairer occupation than nan existent parole board,” nan constabulary serviceman said. “They would springiness breaks to group who really merit it, but they wouldn’t hide that they person a work to nan victims, too.”
Parole hearings are held by a sheet of 3 committee members selected randomly “by a machine program,” said a authorities Department of Corrections and Community Supervision spokesperson. Panelists spell to location officials statewide to behaviour interviews pinch convicts complete video-conference calls, and render a determination aft deliberating.
Victims’ families do not be hearings. Instead, their “victim effect statements” are presented to nan panel. Families tin springiness grounds to a parole committee member, but nan inmate isn’t present.
The hearings are not public, and what scant accusation exists astir committee decisions must beryllium obtained done an charismatic Freedom of Information Request that takes weeks aliases months to fulfill.
Inmates tin person hearings each 12 to 18 months aft they go parole eligible, and families tin draught a caller effect connection each time.
Prisoner-rights activists person agelong called for nan authorities to employment 19 committee members to velocity up cases, and Hochul has many times promised she would.
Board members are nominated by nan governor, and must beryllium confirmed by nan authorities Senate.
Five Hochul nominees now beryllium connected nan committee – including erstwhile authorities Assemblyman Darryl C. Towns (D-Brooklyn), whom she named president successful 2023.
However, immoderate of her nominees were rejected aliases ripped by Senate members for not being woke enough.
For instance, Hochul successful 2023 nominated 4 candidates — including 2 ex-probation officers, a erstwhile nationalist defender and a erstwhile constabulary official, New York Focus reported successful October.
The Senate’s Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus issued a connection condemning nan nominations, saying they’ve “been intimately associated pinch nan strategy we activity to reform, which raises profound concerns.”
The Senate yet confirmed each nan appointees isolated from erstwhile NYPD Chief Legal Officer Ernest F. Hart.
Another Hochul appointee, Brandon Stradford of Staten Island, was fired by nan politician successful 2023 aft conscionable 2 months connected nan job, pursuing a bizarre bid of incidents that included him showing up precocious for meetings and falling dormant connected nan job, New York Focus reported.
Stradford declined comment.
Jim Walden, a longtime lawyer and erstwhile national charismatic moving for politician arsenic an independent, said he’s “shocked there’s nary erstwhile high-ranking cops connected nan board.”
“It’s a glaring spread — skewing nan equilibrium of acquisition to nan near connected each parole decision,” he said. “That acquisition is critical. Of nan fewer successful rule enforcement, nary person ever had to patrol a vicinity aliases support it safe.”
Hochul’s agency did not return messages.
Cuomo’s spokesperson Rich Azzopardi defended nan ex-governor’s nominations, saying “this is an independent committee whose members person a assortment of backgrounds.”
“Half of our appointees had acquisition moving successful nan strategy successful places, specified arsenic a territory attorney’s office, a section probation office, nan national situation system, nan metropolis corrections section aliases nan authorities section of parole and were confirmed by nan authorities Senate nether some Republican and Democratic control,” he said.
“All had to spell done a rigorous and exhaustive confirmation process — during which senators probe nan prospective parole committee member’s views and reappraisal their records and qualifications to find their fittingness to serve.”
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These are nan 16 members of nan authorities Parole Board:
Tana Agostini, 58
Appointed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, 2017
She married to a convicted killer whose three-decade situation stint included an flight and biting disconnected portion of an inmate’s nose, according to authorities. Agostini fell successful emotion pinch Thomas O’Sullivan, 57, while he was still down bars and she worked arsenic a staffer connected nan authorities Assembly committee overseeing nan situation system. She moreover lobbied nan parole board’s chair to backmost O’Sullivan’s bid for state — and nan committee paroled him successful 2013. The Post exclusively revealed nan couple’s concealed narration successful 2018.
Darryl C. Towns, 63, chairman
Appointed by Gov. Hochul, 2023
The erstwhile Democratic authorities assemblyman later served arsenic then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Housing Commissioner – and is nan boy of erstwhile Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-Brooklyn). He’s had his ain tally successful pinch cops too, busted for drunk driving successful Mount Vernon successful 2011. His wife, Karen Boykin-Towns, is vice chair of nan NAACP National Board of Directors. She besides worked for 22 years for pharma elephantine Pfizer – wherever she became its first main diverseness serviceman successful 2008.
Carlton Mitchell, 74
Appointed by Cuomo, 2019
The bio connected nan board’s website says Mitchell worked successful nan non-profit assemblage to bring astir “social transformation.” He voted successful 2023 to merchandise Edward M. Kindt, 39, who was convicted of raping and murdering a jogger successful 1999 successful upstate New York. Kindt encountered Penny Brown jogging connected a stepping way successful upstate Salamanca pinch her 2 dogs. At his hearing, he told nan Parole Board he dragged her disconnected nan way and sexually assaulted her earlier strangling her pinch 1 of her dog’s leashes arsenic she fought for her life.
Erik Berliner, 50
Appointed by Cuomo, 2017
Berliner was antecedently lawman commissioner of nan metropolis Department of Correction. He has besides been a advisor for organizations helping criminals successful request of behavioral wellness services.
Michael S. Corley, 55
Appointed by Cuomo, 2019
Corley is simply a curate astatine Getsemane Baptist Church successful Hollis, Queens. His bio connected the board’s web page claims he is simply a trained “Restorative Justice Practitioner,” looking for ways to support group retired of jailhouse done mediation and counseling. The tract says he has besides “helped countless justness progressive younker and adults,” a euphemism for criminals.
Laura El-Bahtity, 51
Appointed by Hochul, 2024
A long-time nationalist defender, she focused her profession connected indigent criminal defense, according to nan DOCCS website. Most recently, she worked arsenic a managing lawyer successful Buffalo’s wide Legal Aid Bureau, which helps criminals get retired of jail. “As a nationalist defender, she witnessed first manus nan disparities and challenges her clients faced successful nan criminal justness strategy and successful re-entering nan community,” nan website states.
Ana M. Enright, 58
Appointed: Hochul 2023
She was nan state’s lawman commissioner for organization supervision, wherever she led state-wide parole and reentry operations. She is simply a postgraduate of John Jay College of Criminal Justice – a breeding crushed for woke prosecutors.
Donna Henken, 66
Appointed by Hochul, 2023
She antecedently worked arsenic an adjunct territory lawyer successful nan proceedings section of nan left-leaning Manhattan DA’s office. She later joined nan Legal Aid Society’s juvenile authorities believe repping children successful maltreatment and neglect cases. After that, she joined nan Legal Aid Society moving for nan teen involution and diversion team, trying to support teens criminally charged arsenic adults retired of jail.
Erin McCabe, 42
Appointed: Hochul 2023
She was a probation supervisor pinch nan Erie County Probation Department, assigned to oversee officers who worked pinch youths. She antecedently worked arsenic a probation serviceman for 15 years.
Chanwoo Lee, 65
Appointed: Cuomo 2019
She was an lawyer successful backstage believe successful Queens for complete 25 years. She worked pinch nan Legal Aid Society, and was a personnel of nan city’s advisory committee connected nan judiciary since 2002.
Sheila Samuels, Age unknown
Appointed by Cuomo, 2019
She served arsenic an adjunct territory lawyer successful upstate Orange County, handling cases involving narcotics and alcohol, intersexual abuse, and assaults. She besides assisted pinch nan improvement and motorboat of a supplier curen tribunal to support criminals retired of jail.
Elsie Segarra, 59
Appointed by Cuomo, 2019
She worked for probation and parole offices successful Albany. As a parole serviceman she worked pinch extracurricular agencies and rule enforcement partners specified arsenic nan DEA, FBI Cyber Sex Unit, ATF and nan New York State Police. She is simply a trained polygraph examiner.
Charles Davis, 52
Appointed by Cuomo 2017
A licensed intelligence wellness counsellor and addiction master who has been progressive successful various areas of kid welfare, juvenile justice, and criminal justice, according to nan state’s website. “When quality beings acquisition trauma aliases terrible life stressors, it is not uncommon for their lives to unravel,” his bio states successful nan wokest of language. “He has a awesome passion to bring treatment to individuals adversely impacted by behavioral wellness challenges who are justice-involved.”
Tyece Drake, 52
Appointed by Cuomo, 2017
She is described connected nan state’s website arsenic a intelligence wellness master pinch complete 20 years of experience. Her criminal justness profession began pinch juvenile offenders but expanded to reentry services pinch nan national Bureau of Prisons.
Joseph Crangle, 57
Appointed by Gov. David Patterson, 2008; reappointed by Cuomo, 2014
A erstwhile adjunct tribunal expert pinch nan authorities Office of Court Administration, he was assigned to nan Domestic Violence Part of nan Buffalo City Court, wherever he monitored defendants’ compliance pinch tribunal orders.
Marc A. Coppola, 56
Appointed by Cuomo, 2012
A erstwhile Democratic authorities legislator and mostly leader of nan City of Buffalo Common Council, he antecedently worked for 5 years arsenic a legislative liaison for nan Division of Parole.
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