De Blasio Hires Convicted Fraudster As The City’s New Ebola Cleanup Czar

Sal Pane's mugshot from 2009 after being pulled over for drunk driving and claiming to be on the staff of the Nassau County DA's office
Sal Pane’s mugshot from 2009.

Mayor de Blasio thought he knew the right guy to disinfect the apartment of Ebola patient, Dr. Craig Spencer. He called Sal Pane who he thought was perfect for the job.

Sal Pane claimed he had decades of experience handling dangerous materials. He even boasted about cleaning up offices after the Anthrax scare in 2001. Buzzfeed reported Pane told USA Today:

This is our Michael Jordan moment. The fourth quarter. When everyone else says no, we show up.

Sal Pane was feeding everyone bullshit. 

Sal Pane’s Past As A Convicted Mortgage Fraudster

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo busted Sal Pane for running a multi-state mortgage modification scam.

Sal Pane professed to be mortgage expert in 2008. He also began giving interviews to the major media outlets. In addition, he began writing commentaries for the Long Island Business News. Pane wrote in 2008 he had worked in the lending industry for 10 years. Yet, he was only 25 years old.

Sal Pane 2014
Sal Pane as he looks today

He also gave himself the title of president of Amerimod. Amerimod promised loan modifications to families having trouble paying their mortgages. Pane began doing late night infomercials and used a number of illegal schemes to lure homeowners in the door.

Pane devoted much of Amerimod’s advertising budget to Spanish-speaking customers. He gave Spanish speaking clients contracts written in English.

Amerimod took up-front fees in violation of the FTC MARS rule. He dodged customers once those fees were paid.

Amerimod even boasted a success rate of between 90% and 100% in their mailers and on their infomercials. By contrast Pane’s own accounting showed the rate was about only 43%.

As a result of all of this great exposure, Pane attracted the attention of New York AG Andrew Cuomo office. Cuomo filed a civil suit against Pane and Amerimod.

NYS Shuts Down Sal Pane’s Amerimod Scam

A judge issued an injunction against Amerimod in August of 2009. The order demanded the company to stop its illegal practices. It also found Pane personally liable for engaging in fraudulent and illegal acts.

Things only got worse for Pane.

He was pulled over for drunk driving in 2009. He told officers he was Suffolk County DA Mikal Sachana. Officers went through Pane’s wallet and found his license. They discovered the license was suspended for two previous impaired driving charges.

Pane fought the ticket but was arrested after he drove himself to court.

Pane was found guilty of false personation and driving while impaired. He was also found guilty of unlicensed operation of a vehicle. A felony in New York. 

As a result, Pane served 9 months in prison in 2011.

Pane contested the restitution to the victims of Amerimod. The New York AG’s Office alleged the amount owed was $5.26 million. Pane argued it was between $300,000 t0 $500,000.

According to Buzzfeed:

 The judge hired a “special referee” who granted the attorney general’s amount. She also levied an additional $7.25 million in civil penalties. 

The referee also found Sal Pane personally liable for the $12.5 million in restitution.

Sal Pane Re-Invents Himself As An Ebola Clean-Up Guru

New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio
New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio

Sal Pane re-emerged in the public eye last month when politicians began fanning the flames of paranoia over Ebola. Sal Pane and his Bio-Recovery crew showed up at Dr. Spencer’s home driving a truck bearing permit numbers that belonged to a dead man.

According to Buzzfeed:

Pane had duped the dead man’s grieving sister into selling that truck as well as the company name. Pane then claimed the dead man’s years cleaning up anthrax sites and other danger zones. 

Furthermore, Sal Pane claimed Bio-Recovery has certifications from the EPA and the New York Department of Environmental Conservation.

Buzzfeed reporters Alex Campbell and Andrew Kaczynski could not find any evidence of this.

Bio-Recovery’s permit to haul medical waste expired in 2012. Sal Pane had no association with the company in 2012.

Buzzfeed also points out some of Pane’s claims border on the ludicrous. Pane claims he has decades of experience in environmental cleanup. Pane told one radio station:

Twenty-seven years. Not my first rodeo.

Pane would have been four years old 27 years ago and Bio-Recovery did not exist. 

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