New York Mets owner Steve Cohen enlisted the recently departed state Budget Director Robert F. Mujica Jr. in his effort to push for a casino near the baseball team’s stadium in Queens.
Mujica was paid $105,000 over a five-month period for consulting services, according to new lobbying filings. The monthly installments were made weeks after Mujica left his state position and months after Cohen’s group had lobbied the longtime budget director about its casino plans.
Cohen’s group advocating for the casino plan, “New Green Willets,” said Mujica is not a lobbyist for them and the work he is doing is “strategic advice” that’s in line with state regulations.
