Peggy Lipton, The Girlfriend Who Sparked the Pension Scandal

Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tom Robbins, The Village Voice,

One way to get a handle on the massive pension fund scandal unearthed by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and his diligent team is to consider this: It all starts with a girlfriend. Long before the political titans were paraded in handcuffs and the financial wizards publicly shamed, there was this simple scenario: a portly, middle-aged government official thoroughly smitten with an aging blonde actress.

It is a direct result of Jack Chartier, loyal lieutenant to former comptroller Alan Hevesi, having completely lost his head over Peggy Lipton, whose blue-jeaned curves and sultry stares so enhanced the old TV series The Mod Squad, that top political careers are now in jeopardy and major investment firms are scrambling for higher ground.

Chartier, 64, is a veteran political aide from Forest Hills. Before meeting Lipton, 61, in 2004, his most exciting evenings were the annual dinner dances of the Queens County Democratic Organization. Suddenly, after a lifetime spent sitting next to clubhouse lawyers, Chartier found himself escorting a bona fide celebrity to balls and parties, where he mingled with the likes of Shirley MacLaine and Warren Beatty.

Read Full Article

Posted by Tracey on 04/29/09 at 11:44 AM • (0) Comments

Tags: corruption, scandal, bribery, pay-to-play, alan hevesi, elliott broidy, peggy lipton, jack chartier, new york state pension fund scandal,