US Attorney Preet Bharara’s corruption probe into the dealings of two shady businessmen and donors to Mayor de Blasio has expanded to Westchester County.
Bharara has subpoenaed the offices of Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino about dealings with de Blasio financial backers Jona Rechnitz and Jeremy Reichberg, who have been linked to recent city pay-to-play scandals.
FBI agents also recently quizzed politically wired cabby advocate Fernando Mateo, who introduced Rechnitz and Reichberg to Astorino, according to a source familiar with the inquiry.
Reichberg, a Brooklyn resident who had no known previous ties to Westchester County, was named a volunteer county police chaplain in June 2013.
A few days later, entities tied to his pal Rechnitz donated $25,000 to Astorino’s re-election campaign.
During a recent visit to Mateo’s Irvington home, the FBI grilled him about the businessmen’s ties to Astorino as well as de Blasio, according to a source familiar with the interrogation.
“The FBI agents wanted to know everything they could about the Astorino relationships with Rechnitz and Reichberg,” the source said.
Mateo, a Latino civil leader, supported Astorino’s re-election in 2013 and was appointed to the Westchester County Police Advisory Board.
Mateo also is in hot water after admitting to The Post that he secretly bundled campaign money to the de Blasio campaign through an unemployed Brooklyn woman.
Mateo declined to comment on the probe.
Astorino confirmed his office has been blitzed with subpoenas from Bharara’s office.
“Yes. Informational subpoenas were issued to the county executive, the county police, and the county itself, which is no surprise given the need to get all available background
in an investigation involving so many city figures,” said Astorino spokesman Bill O’Reilly.
“Everything requested was turned over in a timely manner, and we’re happy to be helpful in any way going forward.”
Astorino claims he has done nothing wrong.
But the fact that Bharara’s probers are snooping around Westchester is not welcome news to the pol.
Astorino was the Republican Party’s nominee for governor in 2014, losing to the Democratic incumbent, Gov. Cuomo. He is considering running for governor again in 2018.
Reichberg was indicted in an NYPD scandal, in which he allegedly provided cops cash, free trips and even a prostitute for a Super Bowl bash.
Rechnitz has become a government cooperator in the case that has ensnared and disgraced a growing number of top-ranking cops in what has become the worst corruption scandal to hit the department in decades. Four officers have already been charged.
Rechnitz also is cooperating in a separate bribery case against former city correction union chief Norman Seabrook after pleading guilty to a conspiracy charge.
Meanwhile, Bharara has two active corruption probes into the dealings of the Cuomo administration.
The cases involve accusations of bid-rigging involving upstate economic development programs including the ballyhooed Buffalo Billion and related dealings involving ex-Cuomo aide Joe Percoco and lobbyist Todd Howe, who previously worked for Cuomo when he was federal housing secretary.
