The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is probing its ties to a convicted Wall Street swindler — after admitting it had no concept the rich philanthropist served federal prison time for a $43 million embezzlement, The Post has discovered.
Reps for Sheriff Robert Luna acknowledged that the company “was not aware” of Daniel L. Gordon’s felony and financial historical past, despite its years-long partnership with his charity. Gordon was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison for swiping $43 million from Merrill Lynch and owes New York practically $60 million in unpaid taxes.
The division is now assessing its relationship with Gordon Philanthropies and “reaching out to former personnel” to collect background data, officers said.
Daniel Gordon (heart on the proper) used LA law enforcement, including Sheriff Robert Luna (speedy left) as props in a shameless bid to reinvent himself as a California philanthropist despite a lifetime SEC ban, a federal fraud file, and practically $60 million in delinquent tax warrants. Gordonphilanthropies.org
Gordon also agreed to a lifetime Securities and Exchange Commission ban in 2003 from serving as an officer or director of a public company to settle fees involving the Merrill Lynch theft and other alleged misconduct.
Los Angeles County has the largest sheriff’s division in the nation, with roughly 17,000 workers who help police 42 cities and run the nation’s largest jail system, according to its web site.
Yet Luna’s division partnered with Gordon’s charity on applications at its jails and initiatives to present security gear for deputies, while Gordon appeared alongside senior law enforcement officers in pictures selling his charitable work.
Gordon’s basis, Gordon Philanthropies, has posted quite a few pictures of him alongside law enforcement officers, including Luna and uniformed deputies.
In one picture alternative, Gordon posed during a ribbon-cutting for a kids’s library at the Men’s Central Jail visiting heart.
The division’s partnership with Gordon Philanthropies went properly beyond donating books.
Gordon Philanthropies backed initiatives targeted on “improving custody programs for incarcerated individuals, promoting employee wellness, and increasing the availability of fire safety bags for deputy personnel,” a division spokesperson said.
Daniel L. Gordon, founder of Gordon Philanthropies, poses for another picture op after setting up a library for the kids of California convicts. Gordonphilanthropies.org
The division is now inspecting the relationship following The Post’s inquiries.
“The Department is assessing the partnership,” a spokesperson said in a follow-up assertion Friday, confirming the ties stretched back “several years.”
“The Department is working to gather additional background and historical information, including reaching out to former personnel who may have relevant knowledge. The review is ongoing,” the company added.
The review comes just 4 days before Tuesday’s election, when Luna faces former Sheriff Alex Villanueva, whom he defeated in 2022.
The division did not say when the partnership started or who initially accepted it. But Luna himself participated in the September 2023 opening of a kids’s library at Men’s Central Jail funded by Gordon’s charity.
Gordon’s eye-popping tax tab has not stopped him dwelling a life of luxurious in California. He is shacked up in this $5 million mansion in the swanky enclave of Rancho Mirage, a celeb hang-out where Frank Sinatra once resided. Rafael Fontoura for CA Post
LASD guidelines governing formally affiliated nonprofit support teams require approval, disclosure of board members, and sign-offs from senior officers.
The revealed guidelines do not expressly require felony background checks of charitable donors. They also say the division “must maintain control of its image and reputation” in such partnerships.
The division insisted it has “policies and procedures in place to ensure our partnerships with outside organizations are conducted lawfully, appropriately, and in accordance with our Department standards.”
Officials added that “all individuals granted access to custody facilities are subject to security screenings, must comply with facility rules and regulations, and are escorted by Department personnel while inside our jails.”
The revelations could be embarassing for would-be White House hopeful Gov. Gavin Newson, who gushed over Gordon’s charity work and whose workplace have repeatedly dodged questions about whether they vetted his previous. AP Photo/Reba Saldanha
The company also left open the chance of cutting ties with Gordon’s charity, stating it “will continue to review its processes and evaluate any information to ensure our partnerships remain consistent with Department policies.”
The sheriff’s workplace did not reply to further questions about whether Gordon himself was subjected to a felony background examine, how the partnership was accepted, or what else his tax-exempt group offered to the division.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) did not reply to a number of requests for remark.
The state prison company beforehand celebrated partnerships with Gordon Philanthropies to open instructional facilities at fire camps — including Malibu Conservation Camp and Puerta La Cruz — for incarcerated girls firefighters.
Florida developer Alan Ginsburg, 87, who court filings allege served as a nominee entrance man for Daniel Gordon’s covert control of Sagaliam Acquisition Corp. Ginsburg denies the allegations. Ginsburg Family Foundation, Inc.
Gordon’s charitable actions have helped set up a new public profile in California, even as he faces a substantial unpaid tax debt and contemporary allegations of financial misconduct.
The Post revealed earlier this month that Gordon owes New York State $59.1 million in unpaid taxes, making him one of the Empire State’s largest tax debtors, according to official warrant dockets.
Public data show Gordon admitted under oath in 2013 that he owed more than $34 million to state tax collectors.
Albany designated him New York’s No. 1 tax delinquent in 2016 when his arrears hit $25.1 million. The invoice is linked to his Merrill Lynch crimes because ill-gotten beneficial properties are taxable income.
Gordon has meanwhile been dwelling in a $5 million property in Rancho Mirage, Calif., while selling his philanthropic work.
His charitable actions have also drawn reward from California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Newsom issued a personal commendation to Gordon Philanthropies in November 2024.
The letter, displayed prominently by the nonprofit, was addressed to “Daniel” and featured a handwritten observe from Newsom studying, “Thank you!”
Newsom’s workplace has not responded to The Post’s repeated requests for remark about Gordon’s felony previous and unpaid taxes.
Meanwhile, Gordon’s financial dealings have landed back in federal court, where a civil lawsuit pending in Manhattan raises contemporary allegations of misconduct.
The grievance alleges Gordon secretly managed Sagaliam Acquisition Corp., a Nasdaq-listed SPAC that raised $115 million from traders, in violation of his lifetime SEC ban.
Court filings allege Gordon operated behind the scenes, utilizing Alan Ginsburg, an 87-year-old Florida real estate developer and political donor, as a entrance man.
According to court displays, law firm Mayer Brown signed an engagement settlement figuring out Gordon as an licensed consultant permitted to give instructions in connection with its work for Sagaliam.
Lawyers for Ginsburg deny wrongdoing, and the case stays pending. Gordon and representatives for Gordon Philanthropies did not return requests for remark.
