(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) A New York City family donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Governor Kathy Hochul’s campaign, while the state paid the family’s company more than half a billion dollars for COVID testing.
According to The Daily Wire, entrepreneur Charlie Tebele’s family donated just under $300,000 to Hochul’s campaign.
Meanwhile, the state of New York has paid hundreds of millions for COVID tests to Tebele’s company, Digital Gadgets.
Since December, the New York Health Department has paid Digital Gadgets $637 million in taxpayer funds for COVID test kits.
The department reportedly did not conduct any competitive bidding before ordering the COVID tests before purchasing the company and paying the enormous sum.
Digital Gadgets, which is based in New Jersey, makes and sells electronic devices to the home shopping network. But, like many companies they started making medical equipment in response to the pandemic.
Hochul announced a state of emergency executive order in November for COVID-related purchases, suspending competitive bidding as well as contract review and approval processes for some spending.
However, there was no formal contract between Digital Gadgets and the health department.
State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli said the department simply made “purchase orders” for the tests.
“DOH entered into 3 purchase orders totaling $637.6 million which served as agreements with Digital Gadgets for medical supplies. These purchase orders did not come to our office for review and approval,” a spokesperson for New York Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, told Fox Business.
“Of this amount, $600K was paid and subsequently refunded from Digital Gadgets to the state.”
Digital Gadgets was paid in 239 separate payments in four months.
Bryan Lesswing, Hochul senior advisor, said that although the state looked at several vendors for the test kits, Digital Gadgets was the only company that could deliver the large amount of tests that were necessary for the reopening of city schools.
An attorney for Tebele said that Tebele “never had a conversation” with Hochul about the deal.
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