Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today appointed Jose Maldonado as Chairman of the new Organized Crime Control Commission, and Raymond V. Casey as President of the New York City Off-Track Betting Corporation.

"The Organized Crime Control Commission will be the premier local government regulatory effort to combat organized crime, and will pursue criminal enterprises that undermine our market and economy while also protecting legitimate businesses and consumers in New York City," Mayor Bloomberg said. "The effectiveness of the current regulatory programs to fight organized crime will be maximized by the new Commission because staff expertise will be pooled, and investigation and enforcement strategies among the various regulatory programs will be coordinated effectively. This is critical because the same organized crime figures often infiltrate more than one sector of the economy regulated by the City. The new Commission will also enhance the City's efforts to repeal the mob-tax that has historically doubled and tripled the costs of doing business for law-abiding citizens, and thus continue to save local businesses hundreds of millions of dollars annually."

The Chairman of the Organized Crime Control Commission will oversee the consolidation of the regulatory, licensing, and investigative programs of the Trade Waste Commission, Gambling Control Commission, and the Departments of Investigation and Business Services, which regulate the Fulton Fish Market and the public wholesale food markets. The voters of New York City approved the creation of the Organized Crime Control Commission during the November 2001 election. In consolidating these agencies, the Organized Crime Control Commission combines law enforcement operations with consumer protection services, including protection against fraud. The Organized Crime Control Commission will also include Business Services Commissioner Robert Walsh, Consumer Affairs Commissioner Gretchen Dykstra, Investigation Commissioner Rose Gill Hearn, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, and Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty.

The Mayor added that he would seek to change of the name of the Organized Crime Control Commission, which is established in the City Charter, to the "Business Integrity and Anti Corruption Commission." "The name change would ensure that the good reputations and economic vitality of many law-abiding businesses would not be compromised by their being regulated by an Organized Crime Control Commission," Mayor Bloomberg said. "And I am very confident that Jose Maldonado, a former prosecutor and Commissioner of Consumer Affairs, possesses the experience and skills to lead the effort to tackle organized crime and protect New Yorkers from unfair and illegal business practices."

"I am honored to serve New York City and I look forward to working with Mayor Bloomberg and his capable staff," Maldonado said. "This City has made great strides in fighting the mob and other criminal enterprises and I pledge to continue waging a successful campaign on behalf of all New Yorkers."

Prior to his appointment, Maldonado was Deputy Attorney General for the Medicaid Fraud Unit in the New York State Attorney General's Office. He has also served as Commissioner of the Department of Consumer Affairs and the Department of Juvenile Justice, Chief Assistant District Attorney for New York County, and Assistant Commissioner for Criminal Justice Matters at the NYPD. Maldonado earned a BA from Columbia College in 1977 and a JD from the New York University School of Law in 1980.

The New York City Off-Track Betting Corporation generates revenues for the government and regulates off-track betting by preventing and curbing unlawful bookmaking and illegal wagering on horse racing.

"New York City OTB is another important agency that generates much-needed revenues for the City," Mayor Bloomberg said. "While heading the Trade Waste Commission, Ray Casey has demonstrated his leadership and ability to achieve results. I am confident that Ray is exactly the right person to get the most out of OTB and I look forward to working with him."

"I would like to thank Mayor Bloomberg for asking me to continue serving the people of our great City," Casey said. "I truly believe that my experience in New York City government and the City's legal system will help me propel New York City OTB to the next level and am eager to pursue this tremendous opportunity."

Casey most recently was Chairman and Executive Director of the New York City Trade Waste Commission, where he has served since February 1999, and Executive Director of the New York City Gambling Control Commission, where he has served since July 2000. In addition, he was Deputy Commissioner for enforcement and General Counsel for the Trade Waste Commission, Inspector General of the Department of Sanitation for the Department of Investigation, Deputy Inspector General at the Health and Hospitals Corporation, and Assistant District Attorney for Queens County. Casey earned a BS from SUNY/Stony Brook in 1985 and a JD from the St. John's University School of Law in 1988.