City Councilman Donovan Richards, a top contender to be the next Council Speak♒er, and his former boss, state Sen. James Sanders, were both eyed by the feds in a c💧riminal probe last year.
Richards a🔥nd Sanders, both Democrats, were named in a subpoena signed by former🤪 US Attorney Preet Bharara, according to a copy of the document obtained by The Post.
The subpoena was delivered by FBI agents in March 2016 to the home of an employee o⭕f a Queens charity.
It demanded any documents regarding gover🙈nment funding given to the non-profit, and any communication between the gro♏up’s employees and Sanders or Richards, dating back to January 2010.
The subpoena states it was issued in connection with “an official criminal investigation of a suspected felony beiꦫng conducted by a federal grand jury.” The suspected crime involved wire fraud, according to the document.
The﷽ non-profit staffer said FBI agents quizzed him about Richards and Sanders, even asking questions about their character.
The staffer said he was coming forward now because ꩲhe is troubled by🧔 Richard’s possible ascension to the powerful Speaker’s post.
Asked if the investigไation is still active or what the results were, a spokesman for the US Attorney’s office declineꦬd to comment.
The FBI agent☂ listed on the subpoena did not respond to a request for comment. A message left w𝔉ith Bharara’s assistant at his NYU office was not returned.
The Grand Jur💫y Subpeo𒅌na dated 3/31/2016 from Preet Bahara
The March 2016 FBI subpoena was issued shortly after the Post reported explosive allegations made by a Queens couple that Sanders, while a Council member in 2012, offered them $1.7 million in government funding for their non-profit community garden in exchange for a $250,000 kickback. Richards was Sander’s chief of staff at the time and greeted the couple at the councilman’s office before they met with Sande𒈔rs.
Marion Moses and Malisa Rivera said they refused Sanders’ request. They filed a complaint with Bharara’s office in January 2016. The couple told The Post last week that they also were quizzed by the FBI about Sanders and Richards after the story ap🐼peared.
Sanders last year denied the couple’s allegations. His office did not respond to requests for comment l🎃ast week.
Sanders served in City Council from 2002 to 2012, when he was electܫed to the st🅠ate Senate representing southeast Queens.
Richards worked his way up from Sanders’ intern to his chief of staff, a position he held i👍n 2011 and 2012. He was electe🥀d to Sanders’ former City Council seat in a special election in 2013.
Richards, 34, is considered am🅰ong a handful of favorites to replace Melissa Mark-Viverito as the powerful Council Speaker after her term is up at the end of the year.
He would not comment on the subpoena.
Sanders, 60, told his staff as far back as 2014 that the feds were investigating him in a pr𒅌obe he said was over past campaign activities, The Post reported in 2015.
And at least two former Sไanders staffers were questioned by the FBI about allocations to non-profits, The Po🌺st reported last year.