I'm not saying Long Island Congressman Steve Israel is involved in the Mafia, the way Staten Island Congressman Michael "Mikey Suits" Grimm is. Israel, not exactly a brain surgeon, is far more subtle than Grimm will ever be-- which doesn't take much. Remember, in his very first meeting with Speaker John Boehner after being elected, Grimm, a violent criminal, insisted Members be allowed to pack heat on the House floor. That's not Israel's style.
Oheka Castle is, literally, a castle. If you're not from the North Shore of Long Island-- the Gold Coast-- take a look at the video above to familiarize yourself with it a bit. It's where Israel holds his fundraising events and its where-- in the midst of a foreclosure on his home-- he held his daughter, Carly's, lavish 6-figure wedding. Many people have wondered how exactly Israel paid for that, right at the time he was stiffing his synagogue too! Israel is very close with a former plumber, turned connected real estate developer, a top financier of the Long Island Republican Party, Gary Melius, who lives in the castle and rents part it out to the rich and similarly well-connected. The $18,200 Melius has contributed to Israel directly may be just the tip of the iceberg in his support for the ethic-less chairman of the DCCC. Yesterday Melius, "a heavy hitter in the blood sport of Long Island politics-- was shot in the head by a masked gunman in an apparent assassination attempt Monday outside his tony Oheka Castle." Israel, of course, was not found on the premises and isn't being questioned about the attempted murder.
Melius, 69, was struck down about 12:30 p.m. as he climbed into his Mercedes in the valet parking lot of the Huntington castle he calls home, Suffolk County police said. The shooter fled and has not been captured.Funny how none of the coverage of the Melius hit mentions his Mob connections or the real nature of his relationships with sleazy politicians like D'Amato, King and, of course, Israel, the endorsee of the Independence Party Melius virtually owns. That's the state of American journalism though.
…Melius, who is as comfortable rubbing elbows with celebrities and former Presidents as he is with throwing elbows in rough-and-tumble Long Island politics, turned Oheka Castle from a decaying estate into a luxury hotel and events space.
…The 109,000-square-foot castle hosted the 2010 wedding of then-Congressman Anthony Weiner and Huma Abedin. Former President Bill Clinton officiated the nuptials. The Gold Coast estate routinely hosts celebrity events, including a May 2012 benefit for pop star Debbie Gibson’s charitable foundation. Melius has engaged in political skirmishes with some of Long Island’s most powerful officials, a high-ranking political source told the Daily News. In recent weeks, Melius spoke with law enforcement authorities investigating political corruption, the source said.
“He said he had evidence of witness tampering and other crimes,” the source said. “He said he had enough to put people in federal prison.”Melius, who was born in Jackson Heights, Queens, has long been involved with the Democratic, Republican and Independence parties, contributing more than $800,000 total to the three parties since 1999, according to state records.
Last year, he was at the heart of a political scandal that led to the resignation of Nassau County Police Commissioner Thomas Dale. At Melius’ insistence, Dale directed cops to arrest a key witness in a case connected to the county executive race.
The witness, Randy White, was a campaign worker for third-party candidate Andrew Hardwick. Melius, who poured $23,000 into Hardwick’s campaign coffers, was accused of backing the candidate as a favor to his Republican pal, County Executive Ed Mangano, in an effort to siphon votes from the Democratic candidate, Tom Suozzi.
In a lawsuit Democrats filed to challenge Hardwick’s nominating petitions, White testified he was paid per signature, not by the hour, by Hardwick’s campaign. Paying per signature is illegal.
Three days later, White was arrested on an outstanding warrant over an unrelated $250 fine he hadn’t paid.
The campaign irregularities eventually got Hardwick sacked from the ballot. Suozzi still lost in November. In December, Nassau District Attorney Kathleen Rice, a Democrat, found no criminality in White’s arrest. But Dale resigned immediately after her ruling.
…Melius boasts of friendships with [Republican Rep. Peter] King and Democratic Rep. Steve Israel.
He plays cards with Republican former Sen. Alfonse D’Amato. The ex-senator had a lunch date scheduled with Melius on Monday until he learned of the shooting from Melius’ daughter, according to Newsday. “It was not a robbery,” D’Amato told Newsday after leaving his pal’s hospital room, where cops were posted outside. “It was an attempt at assassination... They just shot him.”
Melius bought the Oheka Castle in 1984 for $1.5 million after it had fallen into disrepair. He renovated the building and grounds to the tune of $30 million. The castle, built in 1919 by financier Otto Kahn, was used as a setting in the classic 1941 film Citizen Kane.
When Melius fell on hard times financially in 1988, he sold the property to a Japanese company. He rebounded and bought it back for $30 million in 1998.
In August, Melius negotiated a modification of Oheka’s $27.9-million mortgage loan and got a five-year extension, Newsday reported, citing Trepp, a Manhattan-based company that tracks commercial mortgages. A year earlier, Melius had defaulted on the loan.
