University | 1:50 pm | February 12, 2013 | By Jacob Wolf-Sorokin

Prominent political donor falsely claims ties to Yale

A prominent Democratic donor with ties to Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) — the new chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee who is currently being investigated for ethics violations — falsely claimed to have worked as an intern at Yale, The Washington Free Beacon has reported.

The FBI is investigating Dr. Salomon Melgen, an ophthalmologist who founded the Melgen Retina Eye Center, for falsely claiming to have trained at Yale and Harvard. According to The Beacon, neither Harvard nor Yale has any record of Melgen studying, training or working at the institutions and their affiliated hospitals.

A check of Yale’s alumni database by the News returned no results.

The relationship between Menendez and Melgen entered the spotlight when Menendez discouraged the United States from donating port security equipment to the Dominican Republic because it might undermine the efforts of Melgen’s private company, which already has a $500 million contract, according to The New York Times.

Melgen joins the ranks of others who have falsely claimed affiliation to Eli Yale, including Ralph Cucciniello, a man who defrauded many immigrants with promises of legal residency by claiming affiliation with Yale’s Amnesty Law Clinic.

Comments