GOSHEN – In a unanimous vote on Wednesday, the Orange County Legislature approved its own investigation into the three former officials who pled guilty to criminal charges in connection with remuneration they received while serving at the county Industrial Development Agency.
Vincent Cozzolino, the former managing director, Laurie Villasuso, the former CEO, and Edward Diana, a former board member, must also pay back the funds to which a grand jury said they were not entitled.
The legislature’s investigation, to be conducted by the Rules Committee, with subpoena power, will explore if any other funds were misspent.
Legislator Kevin Hines said he believes there is more money for which there needs to be accounting.
“We are not the oversight of the IDA, that is the IDA board, but I think on behalf of the taxpayers, we owe this to the taxpayers to do a little investigation here and hopefully help the IDA because I think there are millions of dollars still missing out of this,” he said.
About $1.3 million must be repaid by the three defendants as part of their guilty pleas.
Hines credited fellow lawmaker Jimmy O’Donnell with exposing the improper spending in the former IDA leadership.
