Another Murdoch paper links Ferraro to crime figures

Press, 22 October 1984, Page 6

Another Murdoch paper links Ferraro to crime figures

NZPA-Reuter ~ London “The Sunday Times” in London said yesterday that it had uncovered close political dealings between the Democratic Vice-Presiden-tial, candidate, Geraldine Ferraro, and New York union leaders with criminal convictions.

The newspaper, in a front page report headlined, “Ferraro’s past linked with the Mafia,” said that there was no evidence that Ms Ferraro was aware of the criminal backgrounds of some ’ of her dose political associates. It said that detailed information on them was available in United States Government and court records.

The “Times” is the second newspaper owned by the Australian, Rupert Murdoch, to publish articles raising questions about Ms Ferraro’s family. Last week, the “New York Post” reported the indictment of her parents on gambling charges 40 years ago. A senior Ferraro staff member said that similar stories were expected to appear in the next week or so in Murdoch-owned news-

papers. “The Sunday Times” said that the most striking information it had uncovered concerned Dominick Santiago, alias Nicholas Sands, a Queens local carpenters’ union official. “He is a convicted embezzler who hosted an important fund-raising banquet for Ferraro to help her repay a large campaign debt she accumulated while winning her first congressional elec-

tion in 1978. “The banquet was held on November 9, 1979, at the Terrace on the Park Restaurant in Queens.” It said that Mr Sands was the master of ceremonies and that guests had included the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Thomas O’Neill. Court records and Labour Department reports showed that Mr Sands had twice faced criminal charges of embezzling funds from, his own union, and was convicted of the charge in 1975, the newspaper said. He had received a six-month prison sentence and a ?USIO,OOO fine.

“A May, 1967, report on New York’s Colombo crime ‘family’ by the Justice Department described Santiago (Sands) as a business partner of the brother-in-law of the late Carlo Gambino, reputed to be the ‘boss of bosses’ of the American Mafia.”

The newspaper said that the political links between Ms Ferraro and Mr Sands appeared to have evaporated after two gunmen shot and injured him in May 1980.