Former Orange County Executive indicted along with two former IDA officials (video)

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Former Orange County Executive Edward Diana, center, walks to the courthouse with his attorneys

GOSHEN – Former Orange County Executive Edward Diana, most recently a member of the Orange County Industrial Development Agency Board, pled guilty to a charge of conflict of interest in regard to his activities with the IDA.

Vincent Cozzolino, 62, of Gardiner, the president of Galileo Group, the consulting company that managed the IDA, pled guilty to corrupting government as a felony. He was the former managing director of the IDA. Former IDA CEO Laurie Villasuso, 41, pled guilty to corrupting government as a felony.

Diana, a former IDA board member, pled guilty offering a false instrument and committing prohibitive conflicts of interest.

Edward Diana                                   Vincent Cozzolino                           Laurie Villasuso

The grand jury indictment charging them was unsealed in Orange County Court Monday morning.

District Attorney David Hoovler said as far as he is concerned, Cozzolino is the most culpable of all three.

“We do not have an embezzlement. We do not have a theft of funds. We do not have missing money,” the DA said. “What we have in this case is a pattern of non-disclosed conflicts of interest where these individuals were self-dealing. They were making decisions that were benefiting themselves while they were on a payroll, and they were not exercising independence, therefore, they were cheating the taxpayers in this county.”

None of the three faces jail time, however, Cozzolino must reimburse the IDA $1 million. Villasuso must reimburse the IDA $175,000 and Diana must reimburse the IDA $90,000.

Several weeks ago the county legislature fired the entire IDA board and appointed new members. That new board them terminated the management contract with Galileo Group, and the county legislature and DA’s office began investigations into the activities of the former administration.

Cozzolino’s attorneys, Stephen Coffey and Scott Iseman issued a a statement on behalf of their client:

“Vincent deeply regrets his conduct, accepted responsibility for what he did wrong and has made the Orange County IDA whole.

“From its inception, the Orange County IDA’s Accelerator program has been a true economic development engine for the people of Orange County, especially during the pandemic.

“It attracted diverse industries to Orange County by prioritizing minority and women-owned businesses, creating jobs in underserved communities and breaking down obstacles to success by rehabilitating abandoned buildings by working with landlords and communities.

“Vincent’s mistakes should not overshadow the many great achievements that young companies and entrepreneurs made while working with the IDA’s Accelerator program, and still can make in the Orange County community.”




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