Liberal Forum

JAN. 14, 2005 - Charles Kushner, the real estate executive, philanthropist and (Democratic) political donor who pleaded guilty to "crimes of greed, power, and excess" last August, failed to show any remorse or humility, prosecutors said in a pre-sentencing report released on Wednesday.

"What is truly extraordinary is that Charles Kushner has failed to accept full responsibility for his outrageous criminal conduct," said Christopher J. Christie, the United States attorney for New Jersey, in the memo to Judge Jose L. Linares of Federal District Court.

The report from the prosecution contradicted -- and at times seemed to mock -- a defense sentencing memo released earlier that said Mr. Kushner was "genuinely ashamed" about actions that his lawyers called inexcusable.
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Mr. Kushner has pleaded guilty to 18 felonies, including filing false tax returns and campaign finance reports, and retaliating against his brother-in-law, who was cooperating with federal authorities in an investigation against him.

Mr. Kushner hired a prostitute to seduce the brother-in-law, then sent a secretly recorded videotape of the encounter to the man's wife, Mr. Kushner's sister.
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On Thursday, defense lawyers released seven letters from current or past public officials praising Mr. Kushner, who was one of the nation's leading Democratic campaign contributors.
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Mr. Christie said in his memo that the government did not dispute that Mr. Kushner had performed charitable acts.

He said the defense letters "show that when defendant Kushner wanted to be good, he could be very good." But Mr. Kushner's guilty pleas last August, Mr. Christie added, "show more starkly that when defendant Kushner wanted to be bad, he was downright evil."

Mr. Christie called the hiring of the prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law, William Schulder, fiendish.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/14/nyreg ... morse.html