De Blasio Backer, Convicted of Sexual Abuse, Fails to Show Up for Jail Sentence
One of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s
leading supporters in New York’s Orthodox Jewish community failed to
appear in court this week to begin a 15-day sentence on a previously
undisclosed conviction for misdemeanor sexual abuse, and a warrant has
been issued for his arrest.
The
supporter, Ari Noe, of Borough Park, Brooklyn, was found guilty in 2013
of sexual abuse and attempting forcible touching stemming from a 2012
encounter he had with a woman at a bar on the Upper West Side of
Manhattan. Mr. Noe’s sentence had been delayed while he appealed the
verdict, which was upheld in March.
Last
year, Mr. Noe, the chief executive of an outdoor advertising company,
introduced Mr. de Blasio to an Israeli entrepreneur, Baruch Eliezer
Gross, who agreed to sponsor the mayor’s two-day visit to Israel
in October. Mr. Gross covered at least $25,000 in expenses for Mr. de
Blasio and his aides on the trip, which Mr. Noe attended as well.
Mr. de Blasio’s aides said on Wednesday that the mayor learned only this week of Mr. Noe’s trial and conviction, which was reported by NY1. “We are deeply troubled by this news, and have zero tolerance for sexual assault,” a de Blasio spokesman, Dan Levitan, said.
The
de Blasio campaign said it planned to return Mr. Noe’s $675
contribution to the mayor’s 2013 candidacy. Mr. Noe also donated $4,850
to Mr. de Blasio’s 2009 bid for public advocate and to his mayoral
transition effort; Mr. Levitan said that money was not returnable
because those accounts were closed.
Employees of Mr. Noe’s firm, OTR Media, gave an additional $12,225 to Mr. de Blasio’s campaigns since 2009, records show.
A
lawyer for Mr. Noe, Abe George, on Wednesday disputed the validity of
the warrant and said he planned to challenge it on Thursday in an
appellate court.
Mr.
George said that in September another State Supreme Court justice
issued an order allowing Mr. Noe to remain free pending a second appeal.
This time, Mr. Noe will ask the appellate court to throw out the
verdict because he has found a new witness, Mr. George said.
Mr. Noe and the mayor have known each other since Mr. de Blasio’s days in the City Council, when Mr. de Blasio, a Democrat, appeared at a news conference
with Mr. Noe to criticize the Buildings Department for violations
issued against outdoor advertising. More recently, Mr. Noe has written
supportive articles in various Jewish publications about the mayor and
his policies.