Could Bad Advice Land David Paterson In Jail?

David Paterson made some bad decisions in life regarding sleeping around and using campaign monies for personal use. Now, it appears he has made another bad decision, one that could land him in jail if this is pursued any further.

Paterson turned to his old friend, former Deputy Mayor and long time Democratic operative Bill Lynch for advice on his past philandering ways with staff members and strangers alike.

Lynch, as you might remember, cost New York City's first Black Mayor David Dinkins his office in a re-election bid by giving him bad advice. Dinkins was known for being indecisive and just a bad Mayor and much of his advice came from his Deputy Mayor, Lynch. Now he has done the same thing for Paterson, giving him bad advice by telling him to come clean with his past transgressions.

Paterson gave an outstanding inaugural speech on the day he was sworn in, and then following day he disclosed his infidelities that he and his wife admitted to. Now, no one canremember a word he spoke on Monday, as the frenzy continues around is admissions given on Tuesday.

A second source close to Paterson bitterly exclaimed, "Lynch helped the city's first black mayor lose office, and now he's helping the state's first black governor do the same."

Sources close to Paterson say "David is furious with Lynch, isn't talking to him," and "Governor Paterson's disclosures involving personal relationships and use of campaign funds has damaged his standing with the public and weakened his ability to negotiate a state budget with legislative leaders."

As the controversy swirls around Paterson, it has begun to center on his questionable use of campaign funds. It has now been revealed that over the past two years, Paterson's campaign committees have paid Jaymacdee Consultants $199,500.00 for professional and consulting services. Joan Flowers is David Paterson's campaign treasurer and owns Jaymacdee Consultants. A close committee member is sending work to her own company?

Paterson's has been asking her company for advice, including the spending of campaign cash. Joan Flowers bad advice has cost another campaign, that of Rep. Gregory Meeks $63,000.00 in fines for sloppy bookkeeping from his 2004 race. That fine was just imposed in February of 2008. Meeks is also good friends with Paterson and Meeks has also used $17,000.00 of his campaign money for personal expenses, and has reimbursed his campaign.

Another state lawmaker and close friend of Paterson's, Sen. Malcolm Smith has also paid Flowers $50,000.00 in professional, fund-raising and consulting fees, although as of this writing, no improprieties have been discovered in Smith's campaign finances.

Will Pateson's seemingly endless string of bad decisions cause him to land in jail?

Clarence Norman Jr. is the former chairman of the Kings County Democratic Party (Brooklyn to non-New Yorkers) and a member of the state assembly. Norman was convicted on three felony counts of wrong doings involving campaign funds during his 2000 and 2002 re-election bids.

Norman was a prominent Democrat, serving for 23 years in the state Assembly and head of the Kings County Party for 15 years, as well as various prominent positions in the city, state and national Democratic Party.

Clarance Norman was acquitted of charges that he has stolen more then $5,000.00 in travel expenses for a party owned vehicle, but that was the tip of the iceberg. He was convicted on violating New York's election laws by falsifying business records and not reporting contributions to his treasurer. In addition, he was convicted of asking a lobbying group to pay $10,000.00 in campaign funds, when the limit is $3,100.00 for Assembly candidates.

Norman was sentenced to consecutive sentences and is still serving time in the New York State prison system.

While Norman's crimes are much more serious then those committed by David Paterson, Paterson's are none the less against New York State election law. Couple that with a campaign treasurer that has a history of sloppy bookkeeping and has demonstrated a history of giving bad advice related to those funds and you have a recipe for disaster.

Joan Flowers is keeping her mouth shut with regard to Paterson's campaign finances, as she eyes running for office in 2009. Keeping her name clean now would certainly help, but the media frenzy building around the entire Paterson story might just keep her name in the public eye.

And as a sidebar to this entire story, State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has become increasingly active in Democratic fund-raising following Paterson's Revelations this week.

It is widely known that Andrew would like to follow his father Mario's footsteps and become Governor of New York. Apparently Cuomo senses a disaster brewing and the NY State constitution calls for a new election, should Paterson be forced to resign.