The dirty laundry of Niagara County Republican politics is being waved again, as former State Sen. George Maziarz has surfaced again to blast a group of people who were once his political nearest and dearest.
Maziarz has not been seen much in recent years, especially after he pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of Election Law violation and a series of other charges were all dropped.
Maziarz said earlier investigations were based on a misconception of what was going on.
"When they saw everything that was going on here, they thought to themselves some of this money has to be going back to George Maziarz. It has to be going back to George Maziarz because he's so close, as you pointed out," he said. "I think that they were shocked when they found out just the opposite was the truth and I think that was what precipitated them dropping just about all the charges against me."
During a news conference Wednesday at Lockport City Hall, Maziarz produced a series of documents, FBI files and records from his trial, to show bad things continue to happen among those once close to him and law enforcement appears no longer interested. Maziarz said it was time for him to surface.
"I've been sitting back for a long time. I've been waiting for regulatory agencies. I've been waiting for investigative agencies," he said. "Henry Wojtaszek to this day has a license to operate a casino in New York State, not just any casino, the only publicly owned casino in the State of New York. Scott Kiedrowski has a license to operate that same casino."
Maziarz said that casino is Western Regional Off-Track Betting, where Wojtaszek - a former Niagara County Republican Party chair and husband of the current Niagara County District Attorney - is president and Kiedrowski is vice president of operations. The former senator said OTB is illegally providing wonderful health insurance coverage to board members in violation of an opinion from state lawyers.
"Board of Directors of OTB show up for one meeting a month, one day a month. They are provided with the best health insurance coverage you can buy in the State of New York," Maziarz said. "I want to repeat that: one day a month, the best health insurance coverage you can buy in the State of New York. Their contribution for that is zero."
He said OTB is also spending major bucks on tickets for sporting events and other events, but Wojtaszek will not release who is using those tickets.
Lawyers for everyone Maziaraz attacked said his allegations are incorrrect. Wojtaszek blasted Maziarz as an over-the-hill old politician who can't find anyone to listen to his baseless accusations.
