See mention of ABC correction below. – David Rothman

Via a story headined Officials: Democrat’s Biggest Money Man Has Mob Connections, ABC News is raising the questions similar to the ones I’ve asked for months.

I wondered why, so early in the presidential campaign of John Edwards, Hollywood producer Steve Bing coughed up at least $900K to Edwards’ New American Optimists PAC. Bing’s people and Edwards’ were mum when I sought answers. I also noted that Bing is among the biggest Dem donors. And now ABC says Bing isn’t explaining his massive donations of more than $16 million to Democrats and their PACs. I didn’t use the M word in the related context, however. ABC does.

Bing partner locked up on racketeering charges 

My angle has been the possibility that Hollywood biggies leaned on Bing to make donations to John Edwards because Edwards could influence copyright law through the senator’s membership on the copyright-related Judiciary Committee. ABC isn’t so polite. It quotes law enforcment officials as saying that Bing friend and business partner Dominic Montemarano is in federal prison on racketeering charges. [ABC has since retracted the assertion that Montemarano was a Bing partner. See below.] Says ABC:

Montemarano has a long criminal record and is known to organized crime investigators by his street name, Donnie Shacks.

“Donnie Shacks’ main activity was murder. No question about it. That was his main function for the Colombo family and for organized crime in general. He was one of the top hit men in the New York area,” said Joe Coffey, a former NYPD investigator.

According to The Los Angeles Times, Bing paid Montemarano’s legal fees after his most recent scrape with the law. Montemerano’s lawyer said his client was an employee of Bing’s.

After a recent private lunch with Democratic vice-presidential candidate Edwards, Bing also declined to answer questions about his relationship with Montemarano.

What’s going on here? Could the Mob, which, as every Godfather fan knows, has had more than a few entertainment industry connections over the years, be buying off the Dems on certain issues? Including copyright? I can’t say. But I do believe these are fair questions to ask.

I’ll also give the other side. Could it be that Steve Bing merely likes to have colorful friends? And is it just possible that he was told: “Contribute to the Democrats or watch your career vanish?” Could he be a shakedown victim? Or maybe just someone who values his privacy and doesn’t feel compelled to explain his massive donations? A one-hundred-percent law-abiding citizen? That could well be the case. I’ll not accuse Bing of crimes.

But if he values privacy, why is he such a massive contributor to the Democrats and especially to Edwards? It would be wrong for pesky bloggers and the press not to ask questions.

Certainly the existence of the news stories would be an argument for curiosity.  Given Disney’s ownership of ABC–remember, the company lobbied for the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act–I doubt that the network would be going with this story without being damn certain of its facts.

Meanwhile here are some of the copyright-related items that TeleRead has carried about Edwards and Kerry and the sleazy Bono Act on which they’re silent:

A million dollars in Hollywood-related political cash: Why Sen. Edwards won’t speak out on the DMCA and Bono–even when his own constituents suffer?

The Hollywood-Edwards connection: Senator’s Judiciary Committee role merits close scrutiny if Valenti statement applies

Yo, Edwards! If you hate pesky questions, then you need to speak up on Net copyright issues

Sonny Bono law harms UNC Internet project–does Sen. Edwards care?

Needed: A public list of Kerry-Edwards’ REAL advisors on Net and copyright matters

Think Kerry and Edwards don’t pal around with Hollywood lobbyist Jack Valenti? Here’s proof

Still wanted: Copyright answers from John Kerry’s people in photo below

Attn. Ms. Edwards! Time for a library-lover to educate the Senator on the multi-billion-dollar copyright giveaway?

Fewer Americans enjoy good books–but here’s how Washington could help

PR depicting Edwards as “The People’s Senator” (except in copyright-related areas?)

Hollywood-bought law stars in professor’s nuts-and-bolts guide to Washington sleaze

Given all the questions here, it is high time that Sen. Edwards come clean with us about copyright issues and the reasons for the Bing donations. So far “The People’s Senator” has yet to speak out against, say, Bono, the DMCA, or the proposed Inducing Infringement of Copyrights Act. As I said, I’m going to vote for John Edwards in November since I’m not thrilled with Bush either, but I’ll hold my nose very tightly.

Finally, what the devil happens if it somehow turns out that the Bing money was mob-tainted in a dangerous way? Will Sen. Edwards and the other Democrats return at least the most recent contributions, just as he did within the past week or so when questions arose about donations from a Los Angeles lawyer?

The importance of copyright law as a symptom of something wrong: In the context of Edwards’ claimed populism, his silence on Bono and other elitist is totally irrational unless Hollywood cash has made him wimp out. I wish Prof. Lessig and the rest would stop being so damn polite. They need to ask if Hollywood donations have bought Edwards’ silence and stop tolerating his cowardice, rather than accepting it as matter of fact. Without being used, the public domain will vanish. Similarly, without pesky questions being asked, our political process will lose what integrity is left. Needless to say, by taking a pro-consumer stand on copyright law, Sen. Edwards could immediately lessen many of my concerns. hey, Senator, loved your speech at the Democratic Convetion, but how come you’re a tiger on HMOs and drug gouges but so far a pussy on copyright?

Important update, June 10, 2005: The Bing-Edwards connection continues to be worth checking out. Is there any meat to the allegations about Bing in obviously biased right-wing blogs? I find it disturbing that Edwards has yet yet to explain the contributions. And I’m also intrigued by the unsubstantiated report that Dominic Montemarano was a friend of Sonny Bono’s.

In fairness to Bing, however, it is essential to note an ABC correction–of which I just become aware–saying that Montemarano was not a partner of Bing’s. Here is a statement from Accuracy in Media, a right-wing group that monitors the media:

Accuracy in Media has cited a statement by ABC News that Stephen Bing, a prominent Democratic Party fundraiser, was a “business partner” of a convicted organized crime figure, Dominic Montemarano. However, ABC has since reported–and a statement to this effect has been communicated to Accuracy in Media by a lawyer for Bing–that they were not business partners, and that the ABC News report was in error. Their relationship consisted of Montemarano acting in a movie produced by Bing. In its own correction of this false statement, ABC News also reported that “no one is accusing Bing himself of any criminal wrongdoing or any involvement in Montemarano’s criminal activity.” AIM never stated and did not and would not imply that Bing himself was accused of any criminal activity. AIM supports this correction of the record and will correct our commentaries accordingly. While we always cited ABC as the source in our reporting, AIM apologizes for having published this false information.

Well, so much for trusting the mainstream media! As a Sopranos fan, I would applaud Steve Bing’s quest for authenticity and see nothing wrong with payments to Montemarano for legitimate work in his own movies. Now if only Bing and Edwards will answer the questions about the circumstances of the donations–and Edwards’ stand on copyright issues such as the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act!

NO COMMENTS

The TeleRead community values your civil and thoughtful comments. We use a cache, so expect a delay. Problems? E-mail newteleread@gmail.com.