NEW YORK – Greek-American Nomiki Konst’s recent unsuccessful campaign for New York City Public Advocate was in the news again following a complaint to the Campaign Finance Board (CFB) filed by former aide Jason Coniglione. According to the complaint, Konst’s campaign allegedly “paid $114,918 in taxpayer funds to a firm associated with her ‘on-again-off-again’ boyfriend ‘for services largely not performed,’” the New York Post reported, adding that “not only does this violate the rules, it is fraud under the New York Penal law.”
Just five days before the February 26 special election, Konst received public matching funds in the amount of $512,560. The Post reported that Konst campaign funds totaling $114,918 were paid to Deep South Political Consulting, a firm Lonny Paris, the above-mentioned boyfriend and “an influential Konst campaign adviser” is “associated” with, the complaint alleges.
The office of public advocate has a budget of nearly $3.5 million, the Post reported, noting that “in total, 11 eligible candidates received $11.1 million in taxpayer funds.”
Coniglione said in the complaint that the “documentation provided by the firm about robo-calls and live calls it supposedly performed was ‘suspicious’ and he would not submit the documentation to the CFB,” the Post reported, adding that reports “after the election indicated that only one van carrying 12 paid workers paid by Deep South showed up on one day — Election Day.”
“All they did was hang up posters,” alleged the complaint filed by Coniglione’s lawyer, Arthur Schwartz, the Post reported.
Among a field of 17 candidates, Konst only received 2.3 percent of the vote The Arizona-born New Yorker with roots in Northern Epiros, Kefalonia, and Kalymnos (the family name was originally Konstantakis) was profiled in The National Herald twice before, in 2016, during the election campaign as a staunch Bernie Sanders supporter featured on numerous national television networks throughout that race, and in 2018, following her announcement that she would be running for Public Advocate
Konst’s attorney, Arthur Greig, “dismissed the complaint, claiming Coniglione tried to shake down Konst,” the Post reported, quoting from a statement by Greig that “these baseless allegations were made by a campaign aide who both sexually harassed Ms. Konst and attempted to extort Ms. Konst for money and a personal sexual relationship.
“The campaign aide’s irrational behaviors have been delusional and physically threatening and we have notified the appropriate authorities and may pursue appropriate legal action if necessary.”
“The Konst campaign also called Coniglione a ‘sexual predator’ who had a ‘fatal attraction’ for her,” the Post reported.
“Running for office as a woman is hard enough. I’ve stayed silent about the personal attacks I’ve received over the past few months from those who have slandered my character for their own personal and political gain – but my personal safety is now at risk,” Konst told the Post.
When asked about Konst’s counter-accusations, Coniglione dismissed them and “stood by his complaint,” the Post reported.
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