Cuomo names ex-deputy to Port Authority board

ALBANY – New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has a named his former top deputy to the board of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Attorney Steven Cohen was the governor's secretary. He is currently general counsel of MacAndrews & Forbes Inc., the holding company owned by billionaire investor and Revlon chairman Ronald Perelman.

The Port Authority builds and operates transportation facilities in the greater New York City area, including airports, tunnels, bridges, marine ports, a bus terminal, the World Trade Center and the PATH rail system.

A scandal about lane closings on the George Washington Bridge and traffic gridlock in Fort Lee, N.J., in 2013 have led to a conspiracy conviction by a former authority employee and charges against two other political allies of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.