The Albany Room Home Capital Corruption Home Crimes & Scandals The Legislature for Sale The Legislature for Sale How much does it cost to buy off a legislature? Select a story to learn more. A Suitcase Filled with Cash In 1868, Jay Gould arrived in Albany carrying a suitcase filled with about $7 million. Read more Boss Tweed’s Charter More than $200,000 was paid in bribes to lock over the finances of NYC. Read more Nellie Bly “Buys” the New York Legislature In 1888, Nellie Bly, an early American investigative journalist, showed how easy it was to buy off legislatures. Read more Three-Men-in-a-Room The “three-men-in-a-room” model refers to the secretive way deals were made, including legislation, in Albany. Read more Banks and Charters In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, banks in New York needed to be chartered by the legislature, which led to significant corruption. Read more
A Suitcase Filled with Cash In 1868, Jay Gould arrived in Albany carrying a suitcase filled with about $7 million. Read more
Boss Tweed’s Charter More than $200,000 was paid in bribes to lock over the finances of NYC. Read more
Nellie Bly “Buys” the New York Legislature In 1888, Nellie Bly, an early American investigative journalist, showed how easy it was to buy off legislatures. Read more
Three-Men-in-a-Room The “three-men-in-a-room” model refers to the secretive way deals were made, including legislation, in Albany. Read more
Banks and Charters In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, banks in New York needed to be chartered by the legislature, which led to significant corruption. Read more
