Forest City defense re Kruger/Lipsky pleas: federal complaint "in no way says or suggests that we behaved in an inappropriate manner"

Reported Brooklyn Daily, regarding the guilty pleas by former state Sen. Carl Kruger and Richard Lipsky:

The [federal complaint against Kruger and Lipsky] in no way says or suggests that we behaved in an inappropriate manner,” Forest City Ratner spokesman Joe DePlasco explained.

Not so.

Neither  the 4/7/11 indictment (superseding a 3/9/11 complaint) suggested that Forest City, or executive Bruce Bender, behaved illegally.

And the indictment, far more terse than its predecessor, did not suggest inappropriate behavior.

But the complaint, as I pointed out 12/21/11, very much suggested inappropriate behavior--at least if you think asking Kruger for $15 million, including $9 million to complete the Carlton Avenue Bridge (and talking rather profanely about it), is inappropriate.