Once-prominent New York politician arrested on tax charges

A perennial in New York City politics for decades until he dropped out of the scene 15 years ago, former Manhattan Borough President and City Council President Andrew Stein was arrested yesterday on federal tax fraud charges. Superficial person that I am, the thing that I most remembered about Stein, the son of a millionaire, was his incredibly obvious, incredibly bad toupé which looked as though it had cost about $50, and his overall artificial appearance and persona that made you feel uncomfortable just looking at him. He’s wearing a somewhat better quality toupé nowadays, as seen in this photo taken yesterday, but it still screams, “fake.”

Andrew Stein after being freed on bail yesterday

Stein, a liberal Democrat, apparently had a relationship with Ann Coulter a few years ago, an unlikely pairing if there ever was one. You’d think she’d go for cooler guys than this.

Accused of much more serious and extensive crimes is Stein’s colleague, money manager to the stars Kenneth Starr, who appropriated millions of dollars his celebrity clients had invested with him and used it to fund his lavish lifestyle. Stories are here and here. This is interesting stuff, which I actually found relaxing to read as a break from more grave news like the catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico. (The same applies to the Joe Sestak affair.) Starr, whom I never heard of before, is married to an ex-pole dance stripper 34 years his junior.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at May 28, 2010 07:12 PM | Send