New York Politicians 'Abused Power' To Party in Buffalo Bills Suite, Per Complaint

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul's use of a Buffalo Bills luxury suite in December is the subject of a high-profile complaint.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul with local officials and Bill Newlands, President and CEO of / Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Rochester Democrat

The Buffalo Bills are no stranger to drama, but rarely does it involve some of New York's most-important politicians.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and majority leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes allegedly turned the VIP luxury suite at Highmark Stadium into a private party room during the Dec. 17 game against the Dallas Cowboys, according to The New York Post. A complaint has been filed with the state's ethics watchdog.

“It is clear that the public officials secured the benefit of the use of the box and the tickets for themselves and their guests for their private benefit and/or non-governmental purposes,” lawyer David Grandeau said in a letter to the NYS Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government, via The Post.

“They clearly abused their power to generate a valuable perk for themselves and the lobbyists that accompanied that was not available to everyday New York citizens and taxpayers.”

Jan 21, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Other high-profile individuals reportedly in the suite included Heastie's girlfriend Rebecca LaMorte and Patrick Jenkins, Heastie's close friend and lobbyist. William Hochul, Kathy Hochul's husband, was also reportedly in attendance.

Empire State Development Corp, the company that manages the suite, reports directly to the governor.

In response to the complaint, Hochul's office insisted that she did everything as she should have.

“Following the guidelines governing the ESD suite, Governor Hochul gathered with members of the Amherst Chamber of Commerce and Western New York leaders at the Bills game where they discussed the region’s infrastructure and economic growth. The Governor followed all State guidelines regarding usage of this space, including using personal funds to pay $531.00 to cover the cost of tickets,” Hochul spokesman Avi Small told The Post.

The Bills reportedly determined that the value of a ticket to the Cowboys game was $177, so Hochul paying $531 for three of them would check out. However, the price for suite tickets would be much higher than the average, which Grandeau noted in his complaint.

A similar situation occurred in 2011, when former Gov. David Paterson paid a $62,150 fine to settle an ethics probe into allegations of him using his position to get New York Yankees tickets.

“This is a simple case. You can’t use your government position to see your favorite team in a luxury box. It’s wrong. Enough is enough,” Grandeau told The Post.