Dear Clerk Finn and Councilor Caraviello:
Enclosed is a copy of my letter to Marian Ryan, the District Attorney of Middlesex County, regarding Mr. Camuso’s alleged conflict when it comes to MCC.
I respectfully request that Paul A. Camuso recuse himself his role as President of the City Council when the topic is Medford Community Cablevison. As with the Brooks Estate when Mr. Camuso steps down, it is my opinion that there is an even more serious conflict with MCC.
If Mr. Camuso refuses to do so, which I fully expect, Clerk Ed Finn and Council Vice President Rick Caraviello should advise the community of our rights and how to proceed. This IS a formal request for Councilor Caraviello to oversee any discussion of MCC on July 15th at the Council.
A judge in New Mexico ruled that a City Council cannot engage in censorship and violate the First Amendment, as Mr. Camuso does quite frequently with many members of the public as well as with fellow councilors. I have lodged a complaint with the office of the District Attorney to see if Mr. Camuso’s alleged conduct rises to the level of malfeasance, and to investigate how closely aligned Camuso allegedly is with MCC
Councilor Camuso strikes down speech he is uncomfortable with, such as my request to discuss Camuso’s immoral pay raise. This is unacceptable in the United States of America and the Council should actually vote to remove Camuso permanently from the City Council for engaging in such repugnant 1st Amendment Violations
___________________________
Exhibit A
Federal judge strikes down New Mexico village’s ban on critical comments at council meetings
Respectfully,
July 14, 2014
Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan
15 Commonwealth Ave
Woburn, MA 01801
Tel 781 897 8383
15 Commonwealth Ave
Woburn, MA 01801
Tel 781 897 8383
RE: Medford City Council President Paul A. Camuso’s wrongful involvement with 501c3 Medford Community Cablevision, Inc.
Dear D.A. Ryan:
This is a formal complaint and request for an investigation into the conduct of long-time city councilor Paul A. Camuso (hereinafter “Camuso”) and his wrongful interaction with the embattled 501c3 Medford Community Cablevision, Inc. (hereinafter “MCC”)
Camuso’s conflict of interest is documented on programs produced and cablecast at MCC as well as programs on cablecast on the Government channel, specifically meetings of the Medford City Council (hereinafter “council.”)
For the past two and a half decades MCC President Frank Pilleri has allegedly operated MCC in about the same fashion as Stanley Komins handled West Medford Hillside Little League, and for about the same length of time. I believe Douglas Nagengast in your office is prosecuting the case against Komins. The difference here is that MCC has an obligation to the city – the city owning 50 % of many of the tangible assets of MCC; I do not believe the WMH Little League had any such contract with City Hall.
During the past ten years or so MCC, a 501c3 (formerly a 501c4) not-for-profit corporation promoted City Councilor Paul A. Camuso – which is possibly a violation of the Internal Revenue Code (see Exhibit A, below.)
Simultaneously the station did “hatchet jobs” on City Councilor Breanna Lungo-Koehn, Councilor Robert M. Penta, then-Councilor Stephanie Muccini Burke (now Budget Director of Medford) as well as the City Solicitor, all possible violations of the Internal Revenue Code.
This benefited Camuso greatly, and benefited MCC. They had a powerful friend at City Hall and that powerful friend not only came to their rescue on numerous occasions; Camuso would attempt to humiliate and embarrass opponents of MCC, the station that gave him so much promotion.
On MANY occasions Camuso engaged in outright censorship when it came to MCC, on one occasion Camuso put a vote forward to silence the City Solicitor and then-Councilor Burke from giving testimony to the Council about MCC. It was so flagrant that it certainly looked like Camuso had as much to hide as MCC.
This cozy relationship with MCC that Camuso has enjoyed helped him garner votes in ways that weren’t available to other councilors who had no such relationship with MCC. A then-board member of MCC, Gary Zappelli (arrested on 9/4/13 for the alleged “false bomb threat” and indicted by a Grand Jury moving the case from Somerville District Court to Woburn Superior Court) would often have Camuso on via phone or in studio promoting Camuso for City Council while Zappelli was engaging in hate speech against anyone who failed to pay him for “video work.” You can find the documents in the Registrars of Voters Office in Medford where a Bill O’Keefe (school committee candidate) and a Mark Arena (city council candidate) allegedly paid Zappelli $500.00 each and were not attacked. Zappelli was fawning all over Mystic Valley NAACP President Neil Osborne promoting Osborne while being paid by MCC as an independent contractor. The Internal Revenue Code notes that anyone “directly or indirectly” involved in the non-profit cannot engage in political speech. See Exhibit A
Exhibit A
,
it may not be an action organization, i.e., it may not attempt to influence legislation as a substantial part of its activities and it may not participate in any campaign activity for or against political candidates.
MCC knew about this rule and violated it with impunity. Zappelli most likely used MCC equipment – cameras and computer programs – meant for residents, not for an independent contractor and/or board member, as Zappelli was. Zappelli’s close alignment with Camuso created a “bully team” to besmirch critics of MCC in the most vindictive, vicious and nasty of ways. Zappelli published a digital image of himself committing an act of violence against me, and cablecast that image repeatedly without allowing me “equal time” to respond to his assault. Camuso not only enabled this, Camuso enjoyed it and relished such attacks, as one can see viewing past council meetings where Camuso made a point of mocking this resident when I attempted to speak at “the People’s forum.”
I have twice been approached by Camuso OUTSIDE of Council chambers, once while he was driving his SUV at a high rate of speed on a one way (the wrong way) blasting his horn at me, pointing at me, and then running through a Do Not Enter sign. Can you believe Camuso works for Sheriff Peter Koutoujian and also worked for the late, embattled Sheriff James V. DiPaola? I have filed a separate complaint on Camuso with LaDonna Hatton, General Counsel for the Sheriff’s office, and Sheriff Koutoujian.
I would be happy to provide your office with more information about Camuso’s wrongful conduct and close alliance with MCC. IF MCC is found to have embezzled any monies, your office should take a close look at Camuso as a possible accomplice. Camuso is tied at the hip to Zappelli and MCC President Pilleri and has only voted against them when he sees the writing on the wall at the City Council; when his fellow councilors vote unanimously against MCC
Camuso has allegedly benefited, wrongfully, from MCC’s violation of the Internal Revenue Code. Camuso should be held to a higher standard, being employed by the Sheriff’s department and being employed by the citizens of Medford at the City Council. There is no doubt that Camuso betrayed the public trust. This complaint is a request for your office to see if it rises to the level of malfeasance. This complaint is to see if Camuso’s benefit from working in concert with MCC goes deeper if MCC board members are found to have engaged in embezzlement.
As we see with the James J. O’Brien trial, people have a very good reason not to have confidence in local government. I have personally filed many complaints with your office and many other oversight agencies about this travesty, which Councilor Adam Knight calls a “fiasco” (his word for MCC TV3.) The Mayor of Medford is the sole oversight, the “Issuing Authority,” and he seems terrified of being bullied by MCC, so the cable TV subscribers are at a distinct disadvantage when a Mayor claiming he employs “leadership that works” is giving lip service; his actions speaking louder, his running and hiding from Frank Pilleri giving evidence of a weak Mayor pushed around by a group of alleged bandits.
Your office has an absolute obligation to help the cable TV subscribers and the citizens obtain some kind of relief from Camuso’s censorship policies at the City Council, and your office has an obligation to look deeper into the MCC problem.
Some additional information:
On or about June 18, 2014 MCC President Frank PIlleri filed a Administrative Dissolution Petition with the Attorney General’s office. City Hall sent Mr. Pilleri a letter demanding financial documents to be handed over to City Hall Medford no later than 4:30 PM on Thursday, July 24, 2014. It is my belief that, despite receiving Fifty Five Thousand Dollars per quarter, allegedly leasing equipment, allegedly selling sponsorship and/or advertising time on the station, and allegedly having members pay approximately $45.00 each to join, with potential grants as other possible income, Mr. Pilleri filed “o” (zero) as the amount of money left in the bank accounts, despite the fact that the station had produced no new programming since on or about December 17, 2012.
A former member of MCC, Salvatore “Jim” Tuberosa, phoned me via a “conference call” with a John Byers also listening and speaking, and informed Byers and myself that Harvey Alberg of MCC informed Tuberosa that they, MCC board members, intended to “collapse the corporation” and, as we heard, “abscond with the monies.” Tuberosa lives in Boston but claimed – falsely – that he lived in Medford as MCC required people be a citizen of Medford, and used this rule to ban a woman who owned property in Medford, the late Mary “Tina” Fiorello.
I am requesting that your office fully investigate Camuso’s cozy relationship with the embattled 501c3. I am requesting of the City Clerk and the City Council Vice President that Camuso recuse himself or step down when MCC is being discussed at the City Council, as it will be on Tuesday evening, July 15, 2014. As Camuso has to step down for discussion of Brooks Estate because of conflict, it is my opinion that his conflict with MCC is far more serious and far more obvious, and for the discussion to move forward should happen with no interference from Camuso, the individual who benefited greatly from MCC’s benevolence to him.
If you find evidence of something more serious in the cozy Camuso / MCC arrangement, I request you bring it to the attention of Sheriff’s General Counsel LaDonna Hatton, Sheriff Koutoujian, Mayor Michael J. McGlynn of Medford and the Medford City Solicitor, Mark Rumley.
I request your prompt attention to this serious matter.