Cuomo to return campaign contributions connected to Buffalo Billion

Governor Cuomo will return more than $500,000 in campaign donations connected to corruption cases, including the Buffalo Billion scandal.  The Governor's Office tells 7 Eyewitness News $534,000 is in the process of being donated to Puerto Rico recovery efforts, as well as groups that do "important work" including immigrant legal defenses and women's reproductive rights.

The campaign contributions come from individuals who have been convicted or pleaded guilty in corruption cases, including Louis Ciminelli.  Last week a jury convicted Ciminelli and the former head of SUNY Polytechnic Institute for rigging the bidding process for Buffalo's Riverbend project.

A representative for the Cuomo Administration says the money donated by Ciminelli and others connected to corruption cases has been kept in a separate account for the past two years, and that it does not affect the campaign's current cash on-hand or fundraising efforts.