Dennis Rivera knows how to spend other people’s money. He is the (in)famous architect of a $1 billion money grab from New York taxpayers. According to a piece from The Politico‘s Roger Simon, Rivera wasn’t shy about throwing around money from his members at SEIU Local 1199. Simon recounts how Rivera filled the chest of Democratic fundraiser David Jones:

In 2000, I stood next to Jones in a packed nightclub in Manhattan at a fundraiser celebrating Charlie Rangel’s 70th birthday. Rangel was then on the House Ways and Means Committee and today is the chairman.

On the crowded dance floor, Dennis Rivera, the president of Local 1199 of the Service Employees International Union, made his way up to Jones and handed him a slim, white envelope. He bent over Jones’ ear.

“This is from the union,” Rivera said.

Inside the envelope were three checks, one for $500,000 and two for $250,000 each.

This was legal back then because it was soft money. Today, soft money is banned.

There may be some SEIU members who aren’t offended by this, but you could probably count them on one hand.