Ex-official David Loglisci’s guilty plea advances N.Y. state pension probe

Neither Rattner, who served for four months in 2009 as head of the Obama administration's auto task force, nor Quadrangle, the private-equity firm he co-founded, has been charged with any wrongdoing. New York Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo reiterated Wednesday that both remain under scrutiny in investigations by his office and the Securities and Exchange Commission that are now in their third year.

On Wednesday, David Loglisci, who served as chief investment officer of the New York state comptroller's office, pleaded guilty to a corruption charge in a state court in Manhattan and agreed to cooperate with the investigation. Former prosecutors and legal experts said his cooperation could prove critical.

Cases involving alleged kickbacks can be difficult to make because prosecutors must show that those involved knowingly paid for a specific gain. Such a scheme is seldom written down, and prosecutors, therefore, often have to rely on inside witnesses to make the connection.