U.S. Attorney investigating the Buffalo Billion

He instead touted Buffalo as the “poster child for turnaround”.

The Post is reporting the probe is focused on the multi-million-dollar contracts awarded to construct facilities for high-tech, drug development and clean-energy businesses.

“As a former attorney general, you can have investigations – that doesn’t mean there is any “there” there or anyone did anything wrong”, Cuomo, who was the state attorney general for a term before he was elected governor in 2010, said. “I know that we’ve had great success in Buffalo”.

Cuomo said he “totally” has confidence in Kaloyeros, the founder and head of SUNY’s nanotechnology school and center, who is overseeing the creation of one of the projects in Buffalo, as well as some state economic development efforts in Albany and the Utica area.

Cuomo told reporters he had not seen the article and denied any quid pro quo between contracts and campaign contributions. “You can have investigations”.

A SUNY spokesman had no comment Friday, saying the university system does not comment on investigations. It is unclear whether Hochul is aware of the investigation or why he is not presiding over it.

Bharara’s office has reportedly issued subpoenas to several firms in an attempt to look at the communication between those firms and state officials. The Daily News first reported Friday on SUNY Poly being subpoened.

SUNY Polytechnic Institute, which is headed by the politically connected Alain Kaloyeros, has received subpoenas seeking documents and other information, sources said.

Asked about a New York Post report citing an unnamed source that federal prosecutors in Manhattan are looking into the Buffalo Billion project, Cuomo said the city’s economic comeback has included more than 14,000 jobs and $8 billion in private sector investment.

“We are confident that all processes regarding SUNY Poly projects in Buffalo were done appropriately”, Gretzinger said.

The requests for proposals for the Buffalo Billion contracts were officially handled by SUNY Polytechnic Institute’s predecessor, the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering.