www.preserve-ramapo.com
Aaron Troodler Past Executive Director of the RLDC Photo: The Journal News
St. Lawrence trial Friday, April 28 day six
Another full day of testimony completed the examination of Ramapo Councilman Patrick Withers, some time was spent establishing the fact that St. Lawrence was fully aware of the laws regarding the bonding process, and it ended with just the beginning of Aaron Troodler’s testimony. [Read more…]
Ramapo Town Board Pat Withers far right Yitzchok Ullman far left.
St. Lawrence trial Thursday, day five–The narrative that follows is a combination of the Journal News report (section in quotations) and other observers in the courtroom.
“Ramapo Councilman Patrick Withers revealed on the stand today that he had audiotaped conversations with Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence and others in town government, saying he did not trust the others and wanted his own statements during discussions of town finances captured accurately.
Withers, the deputy town supervisor from 2013 until the end of 2016, shared those tapes with FBI investigators in the Ramapo corruption case and discussed some of them Thursday as they were played in court. The tapes included discussions regarding the financing of a new ballpark and transfers of money to support the town’s general fund balance.” [Read more…]
St. Lawrence trial day four: Steve Lieberman The Journal News
“On the stand: Thomas Myers, a private attorney who worked with the RLDC and the town on the stadium bond completed his testimony this morning. Next up was Lee, who worked for Moody’s on their ratings on Ramapo bonds from 2010-2012. The latter part of the afternoon was mostly taken up with the testimony of Ken Lehner, managing partner and president of Bottom 9 Baseball, the corporation behind the Rockland Boulders baseball team. The last witness of the day was Councilman Patrick Withers, who had only just begun testifying when court broke for the day.
Key testimony: Lehner described efforts to build the stadium, which he said was dogged from the start by a challenge by Preserve Ramapo, and later faced funding and financing problems. [Read more…]
April 25, 2017 Day 3 of the trial
“A defense lawyer for Ramapo Town Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence, who is accused of manipulating the town’s bottom line, continued Tuesday to hammer away at the government’s suggestion that potential bond investors were concerned with the health of the town’s general fund. [Read more…]
Vilair Fonvil with his attorney Ken Gribitz Photo: John Meore/The Journal News
“Spring Valley village Trustee Vilair Fonvil was arrested Tuesday on corruption charges accusing him of running a scheme to pocket money meant to pay for busing village children to camp last summer, Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Zugibe announced.
Fonvil was charged with four felonies: receiving reward for official misconduct; corrupting the government; grand larceny as a crime of public corruption; and money laundering.
Fonvil, 54, whose address was listed as 23 Devon Drive, West Orange, New Jersey, surrendered Tuesday morning to members of the District Attorney’s Office Special Investigation Unit. [Read more…]
“Prosecutors spent part of Monday walking a key witness through bond issues and questionable financial tactics as they laid a foundation for the corruption case against Ramapo Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence.
In the afternoon, a defense lawyer got his turn with the witness, an underwriter, as St. Lawrence’s jury trial continued in U.S. District Court in White Plains.
[Day Two] On the stand: Ned Flynn, managing director of Jefferies LLC, which was the underwriter for a $25 million bond for the baseball stadium, is on the stand, and spent the afternoon being cross-examined by defense lawyer Michael Burke. He is the first witness in the case. [Read more…]
“The village’s legal fees have skyrocketed in recent years, caused by lawsuits filed by ex-employees and strife on the Board of Trustees, and the village is facing hefty daily fines due to its failure to submit state reports.
In 2014, the village’s legal fees were approximately $155,000, according to village documents. The next year, that number jumped to $233,000.
In 2016, legal fees rose to $323,500. The village has racked up about $404,000 in legal fees so far this fiscal year. [Read more…]
“East Ramapo district officials are being told to revise their proposed spending plan for the 2017-18 school year after the state education department discovered the budget would provide busing for private school students on days when public schools are closed.
Although the proposed $231 million budget approved on Wednesday by the school board includes an additional five days of transportation for private school students when district schools are off, state Education Commissioner Mary Ellen Elia said the budget materials she reviewed and approved two days prior indicated no such increase.
TAKEAWAYS: East Ramapo’s monitor report
On Friday afternoon, Elia rescinded her approval of the budget, told the district to remove the item and resubmit the documents by April 28. Under the state law, the commissioner is required to review each school district’s proposed budget and present her findings no later than 30 days prior to the annual school budget vote. [Read more…]
St. Lawrence attorney Michael Burke
The jury selection was completed and the panel was seated this morning. There are seven women and five men, and six alternates. There are no jurors from Rockland C0unty.
Then St. Lawrence’s attorney presented his opening remarks during which he told the jury his client could not be held accountable for the 22 fraud charges outlined by the prosecution. Instead, Burke blamed the whistleblower, Melissa Reimer, and the grassroots organization Preserve Ramapo. If that’s the defense, they have a problem.
Miss Reimer has countless digital recordings verifying her reasons for going to the federal authorities, and our organization, Preserve Ramapo, has a record twelve years long here and on our legacy website archiving a long disgraceful career that began with St. Lawrence’s first run for office, featuring his lies about having a BA and an MA from Harvard University. [Read more…]
St. Lawrence and his attorney Michael Burke Photo: Ricky Flores/The Journal News
Court update Wed. April 19: The Journal News Steve Lieberman from the US District Court in White Plains
What happened today: “About two dozen potential jurors were dismissed over the course of the day for conflicts or personal hardships that would make it hard for them to serve for the trial’s duration. They included a Rockland County resident who knew one of the 84 people listed as possible witnesses, in this case, an employee of a nonprofit, and a Rockland County groundskeeper.
The remainder were put through a nearly 50-question screening process; about 35 people went through that step over the course of the day.
Most of those are still waiting to learn if they ultimately will be seated on the jury. Those questioned who still could end up on the jury include a woman from Garnerville who works as an analyst for a commercial real estate company and a man who works as an information technology manager and lives in Valley Cottage. [Read more…]