The Federal Bureau of Investigations has interviewed multiple people connected to the Western Region Off-Track Betting Corporation.
Multiple sources told Spectrum News the questions pertained to contracts issued to several businesses with ties to corporation leadership, including Richardson Management, Regency Communications, and Growth Marketing Group. The same sources said investigators also asked about other various lobbying and personal services contracts as well.
As a general practice, neither the bureau nor the U.S. Attorney confirms or denies investigation.
Richardson Management is a business development and government relations firm headed by Rick Winter, the father of Niagara County OTB Board Member Elliot Winter. The Richardson contract was worth roughly $125,000.
Regency Communications is a firm headed by former Niagara County Legislator Glenn Aronow, who was also an aide to former Republican state Senator George Maziarz. Regency received about $75,000 from OTB.
In 2017, Maziarz faced five felony charges in a political corruption case but roughly a year later, pleaded guilty to only one misdemeanor election law violation. In February of this year, he publicly released discovery materials from that case he said pointed to Winter and now-OTB President Henry Wojtaszek, then involved with the Niagara County GOP Committee, conspiring to rig a bid for Niagara County government contract.
Wojtaszek called those claims baseless at the time. OTB released a statement denying any knowledge of a current FBI investigation.
“The FBI has not confirmed that there is an investigation of the Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corporation (WROTB) and WROTB has not received any inquiry from the FBI,” a spokesperson said. “Any inquiry or investigation would learn that our contracts are reviewed by an independent Board of Directors appointed by the County Legislatures of 15 counties and the Mayors of two cities. These contracts are audited, public documents and available for public inspection. Furthermore, WROTB has Procurement Policies that are strictly observed. We are proud of our record at WROTB, as the only municipally owned and operated gaming facility in New York State. We are not just a strong economic driver for Western New York, but we provide critical funding for community development which creates jobs, protects families and helps to offset tax increases for residents.”
The third company, Growth Marketing Group, is owned by Rochester-based businessman and political operative Arnie Rothschild. Sources said Rothschild has close ties to OTB Board Chairman Richard Bianchi, a member of the Monroe County Conservative Party Executive Committee.
Rothschild told Spectrum News Rochester he didn’t know anything about an investigation.
The FBI interviews took place several weeks ago, with some follow ups. Sources believe the inquiry may have been spurred by Maziarz’s press conference, as names tied to the OTB were also well-connected to the Niagara County Republican Committee.
Niagara County District Attorney Caroline Wojtaszek called for a special investigation into the allegations. She recused herself since she is Henry Wojtaszek’s spouse and Monroe County DA Sandra Doorley was appointed as special counsel.
Maziarz pointed out Tuesday, while he called for media and authorities to look into the OTB, particularly whether it was misusing suite tickets to Buffalo Bills games, Buffalo Sabres games, and other outings and events, he had not heard anything about contract issues. The Niagara County Legislature, one of 17 municipal bodies that co-owns Off-Track Betting has taken particular interest in the former claims.
Earlier this month, the Legislature passed a resolution calling for OTB to release a list of names that had received tickets and other perks. The legislators also expressed frustration the corporation was not honoring Freedom of Information Law requests from outlets like the Niagara Gazette and the Investigative Post, which initially reported the FBI inquiry.
The resolution’s sponsor, County Legislature Minority Leader Dennis Virtuoso, D, submitted two more resolutions Tuesday. The first asks the county attorney to demand the list of names as the corporation has yet to provide them. The second asks the State Comptroller’s Office to commence a full OTB audit, including cell phone usage, vehicle mileage and pay raises.