The Greece Assessment Scandal and Ray DiRaddo
I haven’t really been following the Town of Greece assessment scandal - I kind of mentally filed it under “just another corrupt Republican” and then didn’t pay much attention, but this caught my eye:
From the D&C article Kickback scam trial to begin Monday, March 9, 2008
…jurors are expected to hear from Greece Supervisor John T. Auberger, who will testify about the town’s oversight of its assessor, and two lawyers — including Greece Town Attorney Raymond DiRaddo — whose private law firms incorporated businesses the defendants are accused of using to hide their assets.
OK, let’s get this straight. Mr DiRaddo set up dummy corporations for a client who used those corporations to conceal funds generated from a criminal enterprise. I’m pretty sure that’s known as “money laundering.”
The criminal enterprise in question was one that defrauded Mr. DiRaddo’s employer - The Town of Greece - of substantial tax revenue.
Part of the tax revenue was supposed to go to Monroe County as well, where Mr DiRaddo was simultaneously employed as en elected Legislator.
As a lawyer can he claim that he wasn’t aware of the purpose of those dummy corporations without essentially pleading incompetence?
Were DiRaddo and Schwab the only ones in Town Hall involved in this, or does it go deeper?
Why hasn’t Auberger fired him?
No wonder they’re trying to distract their constituents with all this legislative prayer nonsense.
that’s very good question. Di raddo should have disclosed this connection and resigned. But I am not exactly sure when he became Greece town attorney. IT might actually be worse. he might have taken the position after he did this stuff.
I’m not sure of the dates, either.
Well as the Town Attorney, he should have resigned on his own volition. The appearance if nothing more should have been enough. The potential to lose his job as well as his license to practice law is greater.
How can Auberger NOT realize what is going on? You can’t tell me that Diraddo FORGOT to mention to John that he was incorporating businesses for the TOWN ASSESSOR? That didn’t send up a little flag that Auberger would have gone back to the Assessor to inquire?
To me it sounds like they were ALL involved, and are now trying to distance themselves from it. But incorporation of illegal businesses? Do they actually expect the public to swallow that one whole?
My sentiments exactly - thx for fleshing it out a bit.
[...] skills you win an award for auditing. Speaking of auditing Ray Diraddo ex-GOP County legislator gets pulled into court about the Greece Assessment [...]