Empire State Development Corporation Commissioner Howard Zemsky says his agency is cooperating fully with U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara's investigation into the Buffalo Billion. "We cooperate with any investigation and you can be assured that we cooperated with any investigation," said Zemsky Tuesday."If you want any other information with respect to the investigation. You should ask the people doing the investigation. That's all of my comments with respect to that... I am not commenting on any investigation, other than we will cooperate fully."
Zemsky added the probe has not impacted morale at the agency.
"People in ESD are extremely proud of all the work that we do, as they should be and extremely proud of all the work that we've done in Buffalo and Western New York."
His comments came while speaking to reporters in Albany about Governor Cuomo's economic development contest that pits seven regions of New York against each other for $1.5 billion in state funding. Three winners will each receive $500 million. The Western New York region was not eligible for the competition because of the Buffalo Billion initiative.
The federal probeis reportedly focused on the multi-million-dollar contracts awarded to construct facilities for high-tech, drug development and clean-energy businesses in Buffalo.
Bharara's investigation extends beyond the boundaries of his downstate district and into U.S. Attorney William Hochul's Western Region.