ALBANY — A former state pension fund “placement agent” secretly pleaded guilty two months ago to kicking back fees to Hank Morris, former state Comptroller Alan Hevesi’s political guru, and is cooperating in the far-reaching probe, it was revealed yesterday.
Attorney General Cuomo said former Wetherly Capital Group agent Julio Ramirez of Los Angeles pleaded guilty on March 5 to one count of misdemeanor securities fraud for secretly giving the already-indicted Morris $250,000, or 40 percent of the fees he earned helping Wetherly place $50 million from the state’s Common Retirement Fund with two investment-management firms.
Ramirez’s state Supreme Court plea was kept sealed until yesterday because he has been cooperating with Cuomo’s widening probe, sources said.
Ramirez admitted to entering into a corrupt arrangement with Morris between 2003 and 2006 to secure pension-fund investments for Wetherly and others, including FS Equity Partners V, Ares Corporate Opportunities Fund II and Aldus/NY Emerging Fund, according to Cuomo’s office.