In his two decades as New York’s comptroller, Tom DiNapoli has filed lawsuits securing hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements from corporations he’s accused of defrauding the state’s main pension fund.

The main beneficiaries of DiNapoli’s litigation are retired government workers whose pensions are supported by the fund. But the cases are also big business for law firms that can earn multi-million-dollar fees from a single successful case.

Now, a New York Focus analysis of public records has found that a number of firms DiNapoli’s office chose to litigate those cases have also contributed to his campaigns.

The comptroller has accepted about $840,000 in campaign contributions since 2008 from lawyers at 13 law firms specializing in bringing lawsuits on behalf of pension funds and other investors.

Almost three-quarters of that total came from eight law firms DiNapoli has tapped to litigate on behalf of the state pension fund since he assumed the office in 2007. 

In mid-April, following three deaths and amid mounting frustration, Deputy Superintendent of Security Michel Blot was transferred from his role in the state’s maximum security women’s prison back to Sing Sing Correctional Facility.

The transfer followed New York Focus reporting on the prison and a strong push from incarcerated people and advocates to oust Blot, who they said created dangerous and inhumane conditions for incarcerated people. His tenure was marked by limited access to showers, increased use of force by staff, and “lock-ins” that kept people in their cells for extended periods of time, they said.

The Department of Corrections and Community Supervision denied any wrongdoing on his part.