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Convicted sex offender linked to Paladino campaign for Congress
Charlie Specht Jul 13, 2022 Updated 15 hrs ago
n a campaign document, Buffalo developer Carl P. Paladino's congressional campaign identified as its assistant treasurer a man who is a registered sex offender and who was convicted in 2017 of possessing child pornography.
A spokesperson for the Paladino campaign on Wednesday denied that Joel J. Sartori is a part of Paladino's bid for Congress in New York’s newly redrawn 23rd Congressional District, calling the filing "a simple oversight."
Sartori, a 63-year-old Lancaster resident whom law enforcement considers a “moderate risk” to the public, was listed as the assistant treasurer of the Paladino for Congress campaign in documents the campaign filed last month with the Federal Election Commission.
Sartori, who was listed as the campaign’s “custodian of records” on a federal campaign document filed June 14, is also the part owner of two limited liability companies Paladino has used to make political donations as recently as last year. He contributed more than $11,000 to one of Paladino’s prior runs for office and was paid more than $6,000 by Paladino’s campaign for office expenses in 2010, according to state campaign finance records reviewed by The Buffalo News.
"This individual is one of over 600 employees, who works in the billing department” of Ellicott Development Co., a company Paladino founded, campaign spokesperson Vish Burra said in a written statement. “He has no affiliation with Mr. Paladino's campaign for Congress. He has been removed from the campaign document. Mr. Paladino strongly condemns the atrocity of child pornography."
Sartori did not respond to messages left at his home and downtown office seeking comment.
He pleaded guilty in State Supreme Court to one count of promotion of a sexual performance by a child and four counts of possession of a sexual performance by a child – all felonies – in April 2017.
“The defendant knowingly had in his possession images and videos of a child engaged in a sexual performance,” a spokesperson for Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn Jr. said in a statement. “A search warrant was executed at the defendant’s home in March 2013. Investigators seized several digital storage devices from the defendant’s residence that contained the images and videos.”
Sartori in 2017 was sentenced to 10 years of probation, the spokesperson said, and as part of his sentence was required to register as a sex offender on the state's sex offender registry. The state Division of Criminal Justice Services considers Level 2 sex offenders like Sartori to be a “medium risk of re-offense.”
In Sartori’s case, the female victim was less than 16 and did not know him, according to information posted online by the state agency that administers New York’s sex offender registry. The DA’s spokesperson clarified that the offense related to the possession of – not the production of – CP.
Campaign officials said Sartori works in the billing department of Ellicott Development, the company Paladino founded and which his son, William, now runs.
When Paladino ran as the Republican candidate for governor in 2010, Sartori made four donations totaling $11,525 to Paladino’s campaign committee, according to records filed with the state Board of Elections.
Also that year – which was prior to Sartori’s child porn conviction – state campaign finance records indicate the Paladino for the People campaign paid more than $7,200 to Sartori for what the campaign described as office expenses.
Burra did not immediately respond to questions about whether Sartori had a campaign role in 2010.
State law requires limited liability companies, also known as LLCs, to disclose their ownership interests when the companies make political contributions.
In 2019, Sartori contributed $50 to the Erie County Republican Committee on behalf of 1093 Group LLC, which records show was created by Paladino in 2004.
Last year, Sartori contributed $128 to the re-election campaign of Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown, records show. The contribution was part of a $5,000 campaign donation made by 224 Group LLC, which is also affiliated with Paladino, according to state records.
Federal Election Commission records show Paladino's campaign amended its original campaign filing to include Sartori. On June 6, the campaign listed a national political consultant as its records custodian. On June 14, the campaign filed an amended statement listing Sartori in that role.
Last month, Paladino told The News that he planned to spend $1.5 million of his own funds on the campaign for the seat, which will soon be vacated by Republican Chris Jacobs. Paladino is preparing for a primary matchup against Nicholas A. Langworthy, the state Republican chairman making his first run for elective office.
Sartori's link to the campaign is the latest controversy to beset Paladino's campaign.
In June, he first denied, and then admitted, he had posted material on his Facebook page linking recent mass killings in Buffalo and Texas to "false flag" ideas that claim government involvement in similar tragedies.
Also last month, Media Matters, a left-leaning nonprofit group, reported on its website that Paladino told a WBEN Radio program last year that Adolf Hitler was "the kind of leader we need today." He later walked back those remarks.
Paladino and Langworthy are well-known conservatives and allies of former President Donald Trump running in an overwhelmingly Republican and pro-Trump district
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