ALBANY — Follow the money.
The feds acknowledge eavesdropping on phone calls between indicted state Sen. Malcolm Smith and his chief fund-raiser, Rob Calentine, in their probe of Smith’s alleged efforts to bribe county Republican leaders for a spot on the GOP mayoral ballot.
One source who knows both well said investigators are trying to determine if Smith, a Queens Democrat who served as Senate majority leader from January-June 2009, was running financial shenanigans through Calentine.
“Calentine is very close to Malcolm,” the insider said. “He’s been with Malcolm a long time. Calentine was the chief fund-raiser when the Democrats took back the Senate in 2008. He was Malcolm’s money guy. Malcolm trusts him. Follow the money. What else does Calentine know?”
Other sources noted that Calentine, who lives in Chelsea and declined to comment, is well regarded, having raised money for other notable New York Democrats.
Smith’s lawyer, Gerald Shargel, said he had never heard of Calentine until Thursday, when the fund-raiser’s name surfaced in court papers.
Smith has pleaded not guilty.