LPCiminelli is a prominent builder in the city whose chief executive, Louis P. Ciminelli, has generously supported Mr. Cuomo: Mr. Ciminelli and his associates and relatives have given nearly $150,000 to his campaigns over the years.Ciminelli personally contributed $96,500 to Cuomo's gubernatorial campaigns. In late 2014, Cuomo increased the state's pledge to the SolarCity construction project from $225 million to $750 million. Bharara's office has issued LPCiminelli a subpoena in the investigation, but LPCiminelli was not the target of the investigation. Although Ciminelli may not have been the target of this investigation, he was arrested for his company's role in the scandal in September 2016, and indicted in November 2016. Louis Ciminelli has had legal issues in the past. In 1991 he was listed as a co-defendant in a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) suit against long time mob controlled Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 210 in Buffalo. His name appears with known soldiers and associates of the Buffalo Crime family including Leonard Falzone, Dan Sansanese, Joseph Pieri, Peter Gerace, and Salvatore Caci. The Ciminelli family has been under investigation more than once. In 1986, LIUNA was going to bring a lawsuit against 20 Buffalo area contractors and Ron Fino was told by Buffalo Family underboss Joe Todaro, Jr and consigliere Leonard Falzone that Frank Ciminelli (Louis' father) was connected and all his companies were "off limits". It now appears L.P. Ciminelli is being investigated on another possible bid rigging charge involving the Culinary Institute project for Niagara County Community College. Empire State Development Corporation Federal prosecutors are investigating the Empire State Development Corporation (ESD); specifically, how ESD chose companies to give award fund to for the Buffalo Billion project. The U.S. Attorney's office asked ESD to assist it by providing documentation. To aid in that process, ESD has hired a Washington, D.C. law firm at the rate of $800 per hour. WGRZ asked the U.S. Attorney Bharara to comment about the case, but Bharara declined. Competitive Power Ventures Another federal investigation also involved the son of Peter G. Kelly. In October 2018, Competitive Power Ventures (CPV) executive Peter G. Kelley Jr., who oversaw the development of the regional Oxford Power Plant, was sentenced to 14 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The charge involved funneling $285,000 to Percoco after hiring his wife for a “low-show” job with Competitive Power