Queens Rep. Gregory Meeks allegedly agreed to intercede directly with Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez on behalf of a now-indicted fat cat who helped bankroll several lavish Caribbean trips for the congressman, it was revealed yesterday.
The allegations could raise major ethical headaches for Meeks, a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, whose stock has been on the rise in local politics and who has been allied with the White House on key issues.
Allen Stanford sought Meeks’ help in March 2006 — hoping the congressman would let Chavez know he wanted a criminal probe into Gonzalo Tirado, an executive at one of the Texas moneyman’s biggest banks, the Miami Herald reported yesterday.
Stanford — the flamboyant moneyman who officials say ran a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme — had fired Tirado, allegedly for stealing.
Meeks told Stanford he would do so, according to the paper, adding that two former federal agents who were working for the alleged con man had heard the call on speakerphone.
A month later, Meeks went to Venezuela for a string of meetings, including some with Chavez, on a trip that was reportedly hailed as a thank-you for the henchman’s deal with former Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II (D-Mass.) to bring low-cost heating oil to Northeast states.
A year later, Tirado — who had accused Stanford of running business scams — was charged with tax evasion and stealing, the Herald reported.
Stanford has been a major bankroller of the Inter-American Economic Council, a nonprofit that has fought against banking restrictions.
The group helped create the Caribbean Caucus of congress members, including Meeks.
He took trips to Jamaica, Antigua and other places on the IAEC’s dime, although it was unclear if the 2006 one was among them.
Stanford and his employees have kicked in $12,000 to his campaign coffers.
Stanford’s lawyer, Kent Schaffer, acknowledged that his client had talked with Meeks about Tirado — but denied anything improper happened.
“I know from my conversation with Allen Stanford that there’s no reason to believe that anything illegal or unethical was asked of the congressman,” he said.
“They were having problems with an employee they believed was stealing from the bank . . . and he simply was reporting what had happened. I’m not aware of him making any request for anything in particular.”
Meeks and his spokeswoman didn’t respond to requests for comment from The Post.