DISBARRED ATTORNEY GAVE CUOMO 20G
New York Post; New York; May 8, 2002; ROBERT HARDT Jr.;
Abstract:
John Burgess, who also pleaded guilty to attempted grand larceny and patronizing a 16-year-old
prostitute while practicing law near Buffalo, said he made the donations after meeting Cuomo at a
party in Chicago last year.
IPA is facing two suits brought last year by the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission
alleging that IPA engaged in a "pattern . . . of unlawful employment practices" by subjecting
female workers to "sexual and sex-based harassment."
A disbarred lawyer whose Illinois company is facing three sexual- harassment lawsuits donated $20,000
to Andrew Cuomo's gubernatorial campaign in January, The Post has learned.
John Burgess, who also pleaded guilty to attempted grand larceny and patronizing a 16-year-old
prostitute while practicing law near Buffalo, said he made the donations after meeting Cuomo at a party
in Chicago last year.
"I always considered Mario Cuomo an impeccable politician, and I believe now that Andrew will make
a fine candidate," said Burgess, the founder of International Profit Associates, a large consulting
company in Buffalo Grove, Ill.
Burgess, a 52-year-old former commodities trader, was convicted of attempted grand larceny and
disbarred in New York in 1987.
Before his disbarment, he had been disciplined by the Bar for pleading guilty to patronizing a teen
prostitute in 1984.
After being informed of Burgess' checkered past, Cuomo aides late yesterday said they would be
refunding his donation.
IPA is facing two suits brought last year by the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission alleging
that IPA engaged in a "pattern . . . of unlawful employment practices" by subjecting female workers to
"sexual and sex-based harassment."
A third lawsuit was filed against IPA last month by a former worker who claims she was told that she
wouldn't get a promotion unless she had sex with a supervisor.
[Illustration]
ANDREW CUOMO Hands back contribution.
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Full Text:
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Start Page: 006
Personal Names: Cuomo, Andrew
Burgess, John
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6/27/02
http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/nypost/doc/118...1d7db0a6783201d13f2...
http://www.nbc5.com/news/2771313/detail.htmlHarassment Not First Charges Against Suburban Businessman
Company President Once Charged With Using 16-Year-Old Prostitute
UPDATED: 1:54 pm CST January 16, 2004
CHICAGO -- In a follow-up to a previous report about sexual harassment charges against a suburban company, NBC5 reported information Thursday about the head of the company, his past and his connection to famous faces.
International Profit Associates is a Buffalo Grove-based management consulting company with 1,700 employees and nearly $200 million in revenue.
It is currently facing allegations of sexual harassment, as outlined in a court case filed by the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission.
Allegations date back several years and start right with the company president, John Burgess (pictured, left).
One of 100 women involved in the sexual harassment case against the company spoke recently with NBC5's Marion Brooks about Burgess' role in the allegations.
"The president of the company wanted me to be mentored by one of the top sellers, and in exchange for that, I was told -- in so many words -- that I should have sex with him," the woman referred to as Jane said, indicating that Burgess suggested she sleep with the mentor.
In the lawsuit, a woman identified as Ms. B claims that Burgess offered her $1,000 to have sex with him. The lawsuit further states that he told "Ms. 123" that her future with the company depended on her being a tream player with him, meaning that her future depended on having sex with Burgess.
"One thing that sets apart this case is that the harassment did start from the very top," said EEOC attorney Diane Smason (pictured, left). "When you have the owner and the top level managers of the company setting that standard for the rest of the company, that becomes the standard operating procedure of the company."
Brooks found that Burgess, the co-founder and managing director of the company, is a man with a colorful past.
In addition to the current charges, he was also charged with patronizing a prostitute in 1984. The prostitute was allegedly 16-years-old. A spokesman for Burgess pointed out to NBC5 that that was 20 years ago.
In 1988, Burgess was convicted of attempted grand larceny. He was disbarred as a New York attorney in 1987, and a domestic order of protection was granted against him in Lake County in 1992. The spokesman said that order was withdrawn.
The company's Web site features pictures of Burgess with several former American presidents including Gerald Ford, Bill Clinton and George H. Bush from various IPA functions, praising the company's success.
As for the lawsuit, IPA said in a statement, "The company has continually and consistently denied the allegations."
But the EEOC says the class members in this suit say more than 60 men were involved in this harassment and that the environment had a profound effect on them.
"I just literally felt -- became so isolated and felt so -- because it wasn't just one person that was making life difficult. It was several people," Jane said.
The spokesman for IPA pointed out Burgess was a finalist for "Entrepreneur of the Year" in 1995 by a collective of magazines.
Last year, Crane's Chicago Business listed IPA as the eighth largest management consulting companies in Illinois.
The EEOC is requesting that the case go to trial.
