Cuomo's sister-in-law allegedly used influence to try to help posh Hamptons club
Cristina Cuomo allegedly used her family connections to try to help the posh Surf Lodge in tony Montauk keep its crucial liquor and music licenses, The Post has learned.
Long Island's Surf Lodge — owned by Jayma Cardosa, a buddy of ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo's sister-in-law — was fighting to keep its licenses in 2019 amid violations with the State Liquor Authority and local town officials.
Cardoso hoped to get then-Gov. Cuomo — through Cristina and her husband Chris Cuomo, Andrew's brother — to 'soften up' then-SLA Chairman Vincent Bradley, who was appointed by Andrew, reveal emails obtained by The Post.
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Cristina emailed Cordoso around that time saying she had spoken to her husband Chris about the Surf Lounge's licensing problems, and the venue owner seemed giddy.
7 Cristina Cuomo allegedly used her family connections to try to help the posh Surf Lodge in tony Montauk keep its liquor and music licenses.
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'Hopefully Chris Cuomo can speak with w his brother to soften up the chairman. Finger crossed!!! Happy New Year!,' Cordoso told Cristina in her 2019 New Year's response.
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Cristina has held events at the Surf Lodge, and Andrew Cuomo — who resigned as governor over a slew of allegations in 2021 and is now making a comeback bid for New York City mayor — held a re-election fundraiser there in June 2018. Andrew has denied all of the allegations against him.
Christina ended up writing a name-dropping letter to Bradley on Feb. 6, 2019, on behalf of Cardoso.
'Dear Vincent, I hope you are well. By way of my husband Chris Cuomo, I got your email from my brother-in-law, Gov. Andrew Cuomo,' Cristina said.
She said she was writing on behalf of her 'friend and fellow Brazilian' Cardoso, who faced 'potential license revocation' for overcrowding conditions cited by a fire-marshal inspection during the prior year's Labor Day weekend.
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The SLA had threatened to 'eliminate live music' at the venue as part of a proposed settlement with it so that it could keep the liquor license, the letter said.
Cardoso was proposing to bolster security and increase access points into the venue to address the issues, Cristina told the SLA chairman.
7 Cristina has held events at the Surf Lodge, and Andrew Cuomo held a gubernatorial re-election fundraiser there in June 2018.
Courtesy of The Surf Lodge
7 Cuomo told The Post through a spokesman that he did not intervene in the situation.
Debra L Rothenberg/Shutterstock
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The owner also was willing to reducing live entertainment from seven to three days a week and end it at 8 p.m. every evening as a compromise, the letter said.
'Jayma has brought Grammy Award winning live music and culture to the Hamptons community for 11 years, and has attributed to Montauk's burgeoning tourism while other establishments have come and gone,' Cristina told Bradley in her letter.
Cristina, founder of the health+wellness platform Purist that operates in the city and Hamptons, added, 'I cherish our family vacation time out East and the cultural outlets that make our enjoyment of the Hamptons all the more special.
'Thank you for your thoughtful consideration in preserving the arts and culture at The Surf Lodge and the Hamptons as a whole.'
7 Cristina is married to Andrew's brother Chris.
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She then offered her phone number to Bradley in case he wanted to discuss the matter further with a call.
As it turned out, the SLA's license was renewed. In the settlement pact, the owner agreed to pay $55,000 in civil penalties and limit music to three nights a week, stopping at 8 p.m.
Upstate Republican Sen.George Borrello, who is a restaurateur, said Cristina's letter doesn't pass the ethics smell test.
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'This letter is trading on the Cuomo name. It's obvious,' said Borrello, who owns five eateries and knows what it's like to face the SLA.
'Andrew Cuomo fancies himself as the ethics czar when he was governor. This type of influence-peddling is certainly hypocritical for the Cuomo family,' he said.
7 Former Gov. Cuomo is now running for New York City mayor.
ZUMAPRESS.com
7 Cristina said she had spoken to her husband about the venue's issues.
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7 Andrew Cuomo 'certainly took no action' in the licensing issue, his rep said Sunday.
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But Cristina defended her role in trying to help the Surf Lodge owner keep her popular establishment.
'I wrote this as a member of the Hamptons community to help a friend,'' Cristina told The Post on Sunday.
'She was in jeopardy of losing her music license.
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'I didn't do anything wrong,' Cristina added.
Cardoso did not respond to a Post request for comment.
Andrew Cuomo is now the front-runner in the Democratic primary for mayor.
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His campaign denied that the ex-governor had intervened in the Surf Lodge based on the letter from his sister-in-law or any other interactions.
Through a campaign rep, Cuomo pleaded ignorance on the topic and claimed it's much ado about nothing.
'We knew nothing about this situation and certainly took no action, but the fact this seven year old letter is getting shopped around weeks before Election Day shows just how desperate people are getting — this really is some bottom of the barrel stuff,' said Cuomo spokesman Richard Azzopardi.
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