No business between ex-senator, pension figure: aide

By Joan Gralla

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former U.S. Senator Robert Torricelli, a New Jersey Democrat, had "no business" ties with a political fund raiser indicted for securities fraud in New York's pension kickback scandal, a Torricelli spokesman said on Friday.

Spokesman Sean Jackson made the statement in response to a New York Times report that said Torricelli was contacted by Andrew Cuomo, the Democratic New York attorney general, as part of his two-year probe into state pension kickbacks.

The probe into the use of middlemen hired by investment firms seeking to manage New York state's $122 billion pension fund prompted the city and state comptrollers to ban these finder firms this week.

Torricelli became a lobbyist after choosing not to run for the Senate again in 2002 amid a controversy over costly corporate gifts.

The former U.S. senator was registered with the same securities firm as Henry Morris, who faces criminal and civil charges stemming from his role as the top fund raiser for former New York state comptroller Alan Hevesi.

"The senator has never had a business relationship with Hank Morris, whatsoever," Jackson said, adding that Torricelli never met Morris while in Congress.

In 2007, Cuomo contacted Torricelli as part of his probe of Hevesi and his "associates," Jackson said.

"Senator Torricelli has fully cooperated and Senator Torricelli has no information or knowledge that appears pertinent to the allegations in this investigation," said Jackson, his spokesman.