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15 charged with taking funds

Vargas, Claudia; Freile, Victoria E. Rochester Democrat and Chronicle [Rochester, N.Y] 05 Dec 2008: .1.

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Abstract
According to City Court documents, the amount of the individual wages allegedly stolen ranged from about $1,600 to more than $13,100.

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Claudia Vargas and Victoria E. Freile Staff writers Following a six-month investigation, Monroe County has filed criminal and civil charges against a county worker and 14 others for allegedly stealing more than $100,000 from county funds. Monroe County officials announced Thursday the arrest of county employee Robert Morone, 52, of Gates, and 14 building trades workers, who are accused of falsifying time cards and billing records for time they either did not work at all or for personal work not related to their contract with the county. One of the 14 workers is Christopher Gorman, 52, of Webster who ran as a Democrat for County Legislature in the 8th District in 2004 and 2005 but lost to Republican Dave Malta in both races. In the 2004 voter's guide, Gorman was listed as being the business agent for Painters Union, Local 150. Gorman declined to comment Thursday. Since the mid-1990s, Morone has been the county's supervisor of the Robutrad Corp., a private engineering corporation made up of union workers. The Robutrad Corp. has been contracted for more than a decade by the county's Department of Environmental Services to complete work on county facilities. The accused individuals, who included carpenters, painters, plumbers, masons, and iron workers hired through Robutrad, were arrested Wednesday at the close of business. "I am outraged at these individuals, who have violated the public's trust by stealing from the taxpayers of our community," said County Executive Maggie Brooks. "I don't care who you are or how well you do your job. This abhorrent behavior is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated." Morone was fired from his post and the involved building trades workers will no longer be permitted to work on any county projects, Brooks said. She added that the scope and amount

of the theft may end up being larger than it is now as the investigation continues. Monroe County District Attorney Mike Green said the 15 people currently charged are accused of submitting falsified time cards and billing statements. Those 15 men allegedly received payments for time that they did not work, as well as for time they worked on private projects, which included personal work on properties owned by some of the involved men. Fourteen of the people, including Morone, were charged with third-degree grand larceny, which means each person is accused of taking more than $3,000 in wages, and one person was charged with fourth-degree grand larceny and is accused of taking more than $1,000 in wages. According to City Court documents, the amount of the individual wages allegedly stolen ranged from about $1,600 to more than $13,100. "These were people that we knew since the mid-'90s, they were our co-workers ... it's devastating from a moral perspective," Brooks said. County officials and sheriff's deputies are not certain how long the scheme had been going on or how many people were involved, adding that more people could be charged as the investigation continues. The current grand larceny charges stem from offenses committed between June 1and Oct. 31, 2008, according to court documents. "It is clear they were working together ... in an attempt to defraud the county," Brooks said. In the county's civil lawsuit filed Thursday against all 15 men, the county demands restitution for compensatory damages, punitive damages, exemplary damages and attorney fees. The men pleaded not guilty Thursday morning in City Court to the grand larceny charges and were released on their own recognizance. Assistant District Attorney William Gargan said the investigation would continue and there would likely be discussions with some of the accused to see whether they might cooperate. Sheriff Patrick O'Flynn said deputies carried out its investigation in conjunction with the District Attorney's Office. Green said the case is expected to be presented to a Monroe County grand jury and added that this is just the beginning. CLVARGAS@DemocratandChronicle.com VFREILE@DemocratandChronicle.com Includes reporting by staff writer Gary Craig The accused A list of the 15 men accused of stealing more than $100,000 in wages from Monroe County *Charged with third-degree grand larceny: Robert Morone, 52, of Gates; Simeon Roumpapas, 47, of Webster; David Gerken, 48, of Palmyra, Wayne County; Nick Fridrik, 29, of Webster; Jamie Speares, 42, of Greece; Raymond Arnold, 47, of Parma; Frank Costanza, 62, of Conesus, Livingston County; Robert D'Alessandro, 41, of Greece; Filippo Amati, 39, of East Rochester; Mike Lyons, 52, of Hamlin; Christopher Gorman, 52, of Webster; Mark Reynolds, 51, Williamson, Wayne County; Robert Palazzo, 47, of Greece; Frank Insalaco, 42, of Chili.

*Charged with fourth-degree grand larceny: Joel Horowitz, 61, of Hilton.

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Subjects Title Authors Publication title Pages Publication year Publication Date Year Section Publisher Place of Publication Country of publication Source type Language of Publication Document type Subfile ProQuest Document ID Document URL Workers, County executives 15 charged with taking funds Vargas, Claudia; Freile, Victoria E Rochester Democrat and Chronicle A.1 2008 Dec 5, 2008 2008 National Gannett Co., Inc. Rochester, N.Y. United States Newspapers English News Workers, County executives 442080095 http://ezproxy.drake.brockport.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.proqu est.com/docview/442080095?accountid=26985 Copyright 2008 - Rochester Democrat and Chronicle NY - All Rights Reverved 2010-06-30 Rochester Democrat and Chronicle << Link to document in ProQuest

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