- The appeals case being heard Monday is being brought by Joseph Percoco –a former, longtime Cuomo aide and campaign manager who in 2018 was convicted and sentenced to prison for accepting over $300,000 in bribes from private companies hoping to curry favor with the then-governor’s office.
- Percoco’s SCOTUS brief essential argues a public official accepting money to convince the government to do something is called a criminal but a citizen accepting money to convince the government to do something is called a lobbyist.
- In the related case, the nine justices will consider the appeal of Andrew Ciminelli, the owner of a construction company connected to the Percoco case.
- Ciminelli was among several convicted in 2017 for their roles in a bid-rigging scheme related to development projects in upstate New York.
