FLASHBACK: That Time Ex-Yonkers Mayoral Aide, Lorraine Lopez Got Probation In Turkey Fund Theft And Mayor Phil Amicone Went To Get An HIV Test After Hearing What She Told The Judge
COURT HOUSE NEWS: Lorraine Lopez of Yonkers, received probation for stealing more than $5,600 from a Yonkers Thanksgiving Day drive in 2011.
SHAME ON LORRAINE: A former Yonkers mayoral aide avoided jail time Tuesday for stealing thousands of dollars in donations for the poor during the city's annual Thanksgiving charity drive.
Prosecutors unsealed a three-count indictment against #LorraineLopez, charging her with third-degree felony grand larceny, first-degree felony tampering with public records and misdemeanor official misconduct.
#LorraineLopez, 45, could not account for nearly $7,000 in money donated to buy more than 100 turkeys and other items for the 2011 Thanksgiving Turkey Drive. Lopez, who retired last year as Republican #PhilAmicone’s special assistant,
#LorraineLopez, faced a maximum sentence of 2 1/3 to 7 years behind bars for third-degree grand larceny, the crime to which she pleaded guilty in June.
#LorraineLopez admitted she took more than $5,600 in donations to the drive when she worked as an aide under former Yonkers Mayor Philip A. Amicone.
#LorraineLopez, who no longer works for the city, could not be reached for comment after her sentencing this morning in White Plains by Westchester County Court Judge Barbara Zambelli.
Her court-appointed lawyer could not be reached for comment.
It's not clear what #LorraineLopez, a former city council member, did with the $5,600 in checks that were donated for the Thanksgiving drive -- an annual city undertaking to provide holiday meals to the poor and indigent.
Nearly $7,000 in donations were received from corporations and businesses around the city -- the bulk of the funds coming from contracting firm #YonkersContracting.
The theft was discovered in January after Yonkers Contracting contacted the mayor's office to inquire about the drive's success, Westchester County District Attorney #JanetDiFiore said.
City workers in the administration of the new mayor, #MikeSpano, could not find records for the disbursement of more than $5,600 in donations.
The Yonkers Inspector General’s office launched an investigation, eventually interviewing #LorraineLopez Jan. 24, when she admitted to keeping the money.
At the interview #LorraineLopez initially to have fed around 250 Yonkers families with the remaining money — though she did not have receipts for the expenditures or remember where she spent the money, according to the Inspector General.
Eventually , #LorraineLopez “stated that she was afraid to go to jail and that she was willing to repay the money,”
Investigators said. “Defendant also acknowledged shredding all the paperwork associated with the 2011 Turkey Drive because she did not want #AnthonyPiacente to have it.”
#AnthonyPiacente and #LorraineLopez had been accused by the city’s inspector general in 2009 of mismanaging a charity, the Yonkers Alliance for Latino and Immigrant Services, or #YALIS, as well as deliberately filing inaccurate and misleading documents.
The inspector general referred that case to the #YonkersEthicsBoard, which concluded in 2010 that there was a separate conflict arising from the YALIS board being comprised solely of city officials, but it did not recommend any sanctions.
Though #LorraineLopez told investigators investigating the case that she still had her “work BlackBerry and number,” even though she had retired from Mayor #PhilAmicone's Office the previous year.
#LorraineLopez also said that she was in poor financial straits and that her house was in foreclosure.
#LorraineLopez turned herself into city police and was released on $2,500 bail.
The Yonkers Office of Inspector General turned its findings over to county prosecutors. #LorraineLopez was arrested by Yonkers police April 1.
Prosecutors said that #LorraineLopez received about $6,900 in donations for the Thanksgiving dinners and cashed the checks through the #YonkersParkingAuthority.
"It is this kind of conduct that erodes the public's trust and confidence in our government," #JanetDiFiore said at the time of #LorraineLopez's indictment
“The allegations in this indictment are stark,” Westchester County District Attorney #JanetDiFiore said in a statement.
“This defendant pocketed thousands of dollars in donations made expressly for a charity holiday food drive, putting herself and her wants and desires before those of hundreds of needy families in the city of Yonkers.”
#LorraineLopez declined to comment through her lawyer, #ToddLamond. She appeared gaunt in court and had previously told officials and the judge that she suffered from #AIDS
At the time of her alleged larceny, #LorraineLopez had just retired from her $129,708-a-year job as a special assistant for minority affairs to Republican Mayor #PhilAmicone.
http://www.yonkerstribune.com/2012/02/investigative-report-the-grinch-who-stole-thanksgiving-2011-is-alleged-to-be-lorraine-lopez-by-hezi
UPDATE: But It Wasn't Just Lorraine Lopez Apparently lap dance from a stripper named Sassy lap dance from a stripper named Sassy
UPDATE: But It Wasn't Just Lorraine Lopez Apparently lap dance from a stripper named Sassy lap dance from a stripper named Sassy
FLASHBACK: Ex-Yonkers Mayor Phil Amicone apologizes to Sam Zherka
Jiggle-joint story lands Yonkers Mayor Philip Amicone in trouble -- $8 million worth of trouble
A jury Wednesday returned an $8 million verdict against Yonkers Mayor Philip Amicone for snatching the news racks and copies of the Westchester Guardian after the paper ran articles about him frequenting jiggle joints, the Journal News reported.
The federal court panel also determined the paper didn't defame Amicone in a story on the eve of the 2007 mayoral election that said he got a lap dance from a stripper named Sassy - and then stiffed her for the $20 fee.
UPDATE #2: Yonkers Tribune: Former Yonkers Mayor Phil Amicone Turns Restauranteur; Allegedly Holds Financial Interest in Brio Tuscan Grill Yonkers in Ridge Hill Complex
YONKERS, NY – Reliable sources have advised Yonkers Tribune that former Yonkers Mayor Phil Amicone has an interest in the Brio Tuscan Grill Restaurant that opened its doors on Monday, March 5, 2012, in Ridge Hill.
On behalf of Brio Tuscan Grille, the “in-crowd” among Yonkersites were invited to partake in either a free lunch or dinner on Monday, or Tuesday.
The assertion was that the staff was in need of training to hone its skills. The Monday dinner hour was packed.
Seemingly every seat was taken. Everyone that you know was there. Rather than forget anyone, none will be afforded mention herein......
http://www.yonkerstribune.com/2012/03/former-yonkers-mayor-phil-amicone-turns-restauranteur-allegedly-holds-financial-interest-in-brio-tus
No comments:
Post a Comment