Can Rudy's pleas of poverty really fly?

Daily Point

Rudy mystery plane’s Nassau link

One lingering mystery to emerge from newly alleged felon Rudy Giuliani’s surrender to law enforcement in Atlanta Wednesday was how he managed to fly in and out of town on a luxury private charter jet despite repeated pleas of poverty to his liege and codefendant Donald Trump.

The query was raised on-air by reporters almost immediately as Giuliani arrived for the processing on charges related to the GOP ex-president’s attempt to alter the state’s 2020 ballot counts after the fact. Paula Reid of CNN said: “Somewhere he’s getting the money to be able to fly to Georgia by private.”

The tail number on the plane, N417TM, tracks back to a limited liability corporation called CPJ2 LLC. The firm’s recorded address is 317 Ellington Ave. in East Garden City. That’s in the old Mitchel Field area.

Records reviewed by The Point show the commercial property belonging to Neal Impellizeri, who’s the CEO and founder of Concord Private Jet. Industry websites suggest the cost of a jet charter between Atlanta and New York typically runs between $8,500 to $13,900.

Company officials were not immediately available for comment Friday — but details of Giuliani’s rates and lease terms wouldn’t by themselves likely shed light on who’s generously picking up tabs for an accused ex-mayor with a purported $1 million in unpaid legal bills.

Fifteen years ago, Giuliani’s jet-setting made a couple of headlines when he used Gulfstream jets owned by casino magnate Sheldon Adelson’s company in Las Vegas to make stops in the ill-fated Giuliani campaign for president.

While sources from Giuliani’s pre-indictment circle of long ago were left wondering aloud this week about his sky-high accommodations, there was little doubt about how Trump came around to headlining a scheduled $100,000 per person fundraiser for Giuliani’s legal defense on Sept. 7 at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

The indicted ex-mayor’s son Andrew Giuliani, who had a White House patronage position for Trump before running unsuccessfully for governor, personally appealed to his former boss, sources said. Apparently there are still favors to be had for the once high-flying politician, even at this advanced stage of the game.

— Dan Janison dan.janison@newsday.com

Pencil Point

Framed!

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Final Point

Early Labor Day present for Calone

The Long Island Federation of Labor, a regional affiliate of the AFL-CIO, has endorsed Democrat Dave Calone for Suffolk County executive in his autumn contest against Republican Ed Romaine, the Brookhaven Town supervisor, to succeed the term-limited Democrat Steve Bellone.

“We know Dave Calone shares a common vision with us about the future of Suffolk County,” the union group's president, John Durso, said in a statement released to The Point on Friday on behalf of the “250,000 union members we are privileged to represent.”

“As chair of the Suffolk County Planning Commission he dedicated years of service to the future of our region,” Durso said of Calone.

Durso also talked up the other credentials of Calone, 49, who’s been a lawyer and businessman. Durso alluded to the candidate’s past role as a former Justice Department official credited with helping prosecute an al-Qaeda terrorist for his role in the 9/11 attacks. “We will do everything possible to ensure Dave’s election this November and build a better future for Suffolk’s working families.”

Calone said that for a son of a Suffolk County teacher, the endorsement “is particularly meaningful to me. Having run organizations large and small I know that moving Suffolk forward starts with uplifting workers.”

The New York League of Conservation Voters earlier this month endorsed Romaine in the executive race. That especially stood out because the NYLCV did not back any GOP county lawmakers running for reelection, despite their position in the legislative majority.

Contacted by The Point for reaction, Jesse Garcia, the Suffolk County GOP chairman, sought to downplay the two-county federation's endorsement. “Ed Romaine is overwhelmed by the support he has received from multiple labor unions, including every law enforcement group in the county, and rank and file members over the course of this campaign,” Garcia said.

The GOP chairman also alluded to the fact that Roger Clayman, a former longtime Long Island Federation activist, is married to Lillian Clayman, the Democratic nominee seeking to succeed Romaine as Brookhaven’s supervisor in November.

But as always in county and local races, union support can be significant in terms of potential resources and field operations.

— Dan Janison dan.janison@newsday.com

Programming Point

To our readers

The Point is taking an end-of-summer break next week. We will be back in your inbox Tuesday, Sept. 5!