Levy fund gave GOP $100G 2 weeks ago

Two weeks before Suffolk Executive Steve Levy announced he'd forfeit his $4.1-million campaign fund, he transferred $100,000 from it to an account controlled by the county Republican Party.

The donation from Friends of Steve Levy on March 10, disclosed on the state Board of Elections website, appears to mark the biggest single infusion to the Suffolk County Republican Committee Campaign Account, one of a few county GOP war chests.

On March 25, Levy announced that he will not seek re-election and had to turn over his campaign war chest to the district attorney's office, which ended an investigation into the county executive's fundraising.

Suffolk GOP chairman John Jay LaValle said Wednesday that the transaction came before he or other party officials knew Levy would drop out of the county executive's race and turn over his campaign funds to District Attorney Thomas Spota. "I can tell you without a question, it was received in good faith," LaValle said. "We certainly had no idea" that the announcement Thursday was coming.

District attorney spokesman Robert Clifford declined to comment. Levy spokesman Dan Aug did not return calls.

The disclosure by the GOP committee surfaced in a required report for the special election in Suffolk's 6th Legislative District.

Other Suffolk GOP incumbents have kicked in to the party campaign fund, though with donations considerably smaller than Levy's, the state records show. Other contributions, transfers, or fundraising by Friends of Steve Levy since mid-January must be disclosed in July.