Giuliani Had Ties to Company Trying to Sell Border Technology

By RUSS BUETTNER
Published: January 18, 2008
New York Times

"On the presidential campaign trail, former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani often promotes the installation of electronic monitoring devices at the border to stem illegal immigration, without mentioning that until a few months ago, he was partner in a company trying to market such technology.

Mr. Giuliani and his consulting company were part owners of SkyWatch L.L.C., a closely held start-up company that says it has developed a sensor capable of monitoring illegal border crossings. SkyWatch, in collaboration with Raytheon, a large military contractor, is now looking to market the technology to the federal government and elsewhere.

Mr. Giuliani’s company, Giuliani Partners, was invited to join the venture more than two years ago by Abdol Moabery, then the chief executive of SkyWatch’s parent company, who went on to help the Giuliani campaign raise money in Florida.

As part of its work, an executive of Mr. Giuliani’s company met several times with development teams at Raytheon. But the financial relationship ended in September when Giuliani Partners gave up its ownership stake in SkyWatch without compensation.

For nearly a year, Mr. Giuliani has extolled the benefits of a technological approach to border security. Among his efforts has been a radio advertisement, which went on the air in August, called “Fence,â€