 In January 2005, there was some controversy over donations made to Katherine Harris by members of Balkany's extended family including the CEO of Agriprocessors.Harris refused to return the donations organised by Balkany after being made aware of the 2003 prosecution against Balkany and the PETA investigation into allegations of animal cruelty at Agriprocessors.Balkany became a key figure in the distribution of day-care vouchers in New York due to his close ties with Rudy Giuliani and top-aide Bruce Teitelbaum.