The former top lawyer for the city of Mount Vernon has been sentenced to one to three years in state prison by Westchester County Supreme Court Judge David Zuckerman.
Former Mount Vernon Corporation Counsel Lawrence Porcari had been convicted of abusing his position as a public official. He had been put on trial for a scheme that defrauded the Mount Vernon Board of Water Supply of more than $300,000 to pay the personal legal expenses of former Mount Vernon Mayor Richard Thomas and a public relations firm, according to details of the case released by state Attorney General Letitia James and Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.
Zuckerman temporarily stayed execution of Porcari”™s sentence. A status hearing is scheduled for Nov. 18.
On Dec. 16, 2019, a Westchester County jury found Porcari guilty of:
- Corrupting the government in the first degree (B felony);
- Grand larceny in the second degree as a crime of public corruption (B felony);
- Defrauding the government (E felony);
- Offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree (E felony) ”“ 3 counts;
- Offering a false instrument for filing in the second degree (A misdemeanor) ”“ 1 count.
James”™ office said that according to the testimony and evidence presented at trial, Porcari misappropriated funds from Mount Vernon”™s Board of Water Supply to pay law firms for the personal defense of Thomas in criminal proceedings, as well as a public relations firm hired at the time of Thomas”™ arrest in March 2018.
Approval for the rate of payment for one of the law firms and the public relations firm was sought from the city”™s Board of Estimate and Contract on multiple dates in April and May 2018, but was never obtained. Instead, Porcari arranged for payments from the funds from the Board of Water Supply, which consists of money paid by customers for their use of water and whose use is limited by state and local law to Board of Water Supply purposes. The scheme continued into the fall of 2018 with payments from the Board of Water Supply to a second firm later retained for Thomas”™ defense. To further the scheme, Porcari submitted memorandums to the Board of Water Supply for “emergency” payments to the law firms, including memorandums containing false statements, James”™ office said.
“Any public official who lies, cheats, or defrauds New Yorkers must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” she said. “New York”™s public servants have a responsibility to serve with transparency, integrity, and respect for the state and all of its people. I thank Comptroller Tom DiNapoli for his partnership and continued unwavering commitment to rooting out corruption in all its forms.”
