Carl Heastie: Controversies and Criticism

Mother's Embezzlement and Apartment Sale

In 1999, Heastie's mother, Helene Heastie, pleaded guilty to embezzling approximately $197,000 from the Southeast Bronx Neighborhood Center, the nonprofit where she worked. As part of her plea agreement, a judge ordered the sale of a Bronx apartment that had been purchased with the stolen funds. Helene Heastie died three weeks after sentencing . According to an April 2015 report by the New York Times, Heastie retained the apartment despite the court order and continued to own it for another six years, ultimately selling it in 2005 for a profit of approximately $200,000. A forfeiture law expert consulted by the Times stated that the judge's order was likely unenforceable without a formal forfeiture agreement, which prosecutors had not obtained . Through a spokesperson, Heastie stated that he had acted on the advice of his mother's attorney and had conducted himself with integrity, noting that he had paid $10,000 in restitution on his mother's behalf and more than $235,000 in mortgage payments over the life of the loan . The story surfaced shortly after Heastie became Speaker, creating an early test for his pledge to restore trust in Albany following the corruption scandal surrounding his predecessor, Sheldon Silver .

Campaign Contributions Linked to Convicted Individuals

In February 2015, the New York Post reported that Heastie's campaign received more than $2,800 between 2003 and 2008 from Tri-State Employment Services and its top executives, including Neil Messina, who the Post described as a reputed associate of the Bonanno crime family. Messina was later convicted in April 2015 in connection with a 1992 home-invasion murder and sentenced to 18 years in prison . The Post also reported that Heastie directed at least $250,000 to the Bronx Business Alliance, a now-defunct nonprofit formerly headed by John Bonizio. Bonizio had been convicted of manslaughter in 1982 for beating a man to death and was separately indicted for attempting to bribe an NYPD detective, in which case he accepted a plea deal . Through a spokesperson, Heastie denied knowing about the criminal backgrounds of the individuals involved .

Patrick Jenkins Lobbying Relationship

Patrick Jenkins, Heastie's college roommate at Stony Brook University, served as Heastie's top aide from 2009 to 2010 and continued collecting a retainer from Heastie's office as a paid consultant through at least 2016 . After Heastie became Speaker in 2015, Jenkins' lobbying business more than quadrupled, with his firm's client roster growing from nine during the 2013-14 session to 27 during the 2015-16 session, according to filings reviewed by the New York Post . Jenkins went on to become one of Albany's most sought-after lobbyists, representing real estate developers and other interests with business before the legislature . In 2026, Jenkins directly lobbied Heastie against the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act on behalf of opposing clients .

Relationship with Lobbyist Rebecca Lamorte

In March 2024, New York Focus reported that Heastie had been in a romantic relationship with Rebecca Lamorte, a registered state lobbyist who served as legislative and communications director for the Greater New York Laborers-Employers Cooperation and Education Trust (LECET). Lamorte lobbied the New York legislature on behalf of building trades and construction unions . According to the report, a letter from Heastie's Assembly counsel stated that the Speaker had adopted a recusal policy in November 2023 barring him from meeting with or making decisions about organizations linked to LECET . On March 13, 2024, one day before the relationship was publicly reported, Heastie returned a $5,000 campaign donation from a LECET-affiliated political action committee . After the story's publication, LECET's executive director, Dean Angelakos, resigned. The organization subsequently reversed course and allowed Lamorte to resume lobbying the Assembly, including Heastie's staff, though not the Speaker directly . LECET's former ethics attorney resigned in response to the reversal . Heastie declined to address the relationship publicly, stating at a March 18 press conference that protocols were in place and that he would not again discuss his personal life .

In July 2024, New York Focus reported that Lamorte had been laid off from LECET . By 2026, she was employed at the lobbying firm Brown and Weinraub. In June 2026, New York Focus reported that Lamorte hosted a rally against the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act less than a week before Heastie announced the bill would not receive a floor vote. Brown and Weinraub's lobbying filings showed the firm had directly lobbied Heastie's staff on the plastics bill on behalf of clients opposing it, although Lamorte was not listed as one of the lobbyists working for those specific clients .

Cuomo Impeachment Decision

Heastie faced criticism in August 2021 for suspending the Assembly's impeachment investigation into Governor Andrew Cuomo upon the governor's resignation, rather than completing the inquiry and producing a final report. Critics, including some of Cuomo's accusers, argued that the investigation should have been concluded regardless of the resignation . Heastie stated that the committee had uncovered credible evidence but that the Assembly's constitutional authority did not extend to impeaching and removing an official no longer in office. He later directed the Judiciary Committee to produce a report detailing its findings .

Bail Reform Criticism

Heastie's steadfast defense of bail reform has drawn sustained criticism from law enforcement groups, Republican legislators, and some Democratic officials, particularly New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who pushed for amendments allowing judges to consider a defendant's dangerousness when setting release conditions. Heastie resisted these modifications, arguing that the reforms were essential to eliminating wealth- and race-based disparities in the pretrial system .