Steve Pigeon could’ve gotten five years in prison, but instead will get much less.
The sentence handed down by federal judge Richard Arcara was four months. Pigeon will also have to serve one-year post-release supervision.
This case dates back to 2016 when Pigeon was charged with bribing former state judge John Michalek and getting his son a job with President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign. In return, Michalek issued favorable rulings to companies Pigeon was tied to and attended Sabres games in Pigeon’s suite.
Pigeon ended up pleading guilty to conspiracy and directing an illegal campaign donation of $25,000 from a Canadian businessman to the re-election campaign of former governor Andrew Cuomo who later donated that money.
Ken Griffin, a wealthy investor and one of the largest Republican megadonors, conceded to CNBC's Sara Eisen on Tuesday that he expects Democrats to win the House of Representatives this fall.
"I think Trump has to deal with that reality that the American people have just had it when it comes to inflation," said Griffin. "And unfortunately, I think he's being disproportionately blamed for the diminution in purchasing power, the story of which was really written during the pandemic days of the Biden administration."
"And all the money that got injected into the economy afterwards. So, I mean, do you see the Democrats taking Congress?" asked Eisen.
"So it's almost a certainty the Democrats will take the House," said Griffin. "That's the — that's the nature of almost every midterm election cycle, is the House seats swing in the in the favor of the opposing party, the Senate will be the big battleground in this midterm."
He went on to express his confidence that Republicans could still retain control of the Senate, where Democrats would have to pick up at least four Republican-held seats without losing any of their own in battleground states.
Griffin, who runs the Citadel hedge fund, has had a complicated relationship with President Donald Trump, backing many of his policies, but also keeping him at arm's length, endorsing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over him in the 2024 primary, and accusing Trump of using the government to corruptly enrich himself.
