GOSHEN – The investigation into the Orange County Industrial Development Agency that found three officials guilty of misconduct went as far as the district attorney and state comptroller’s offices could go within their powers.
Now, the county legislature voted on Thursday to ask the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York to take a formal look at the case. The entire investigation was spearheaded by County Legislator Jimmy O’Donnell, a retired high ranking official with the State Police.
“If you look at the report that was put out by the comptroller’s office and the district attorney’s office, there are a lot of unanswered questions and our district attorney has no authority to investigate federal crimes. So, it is closed in his Orange County level absent some new state crimes being uncovered, but there is definitely an interest in seeing if there were any federal crimes,” he said.
O’Donnell would also like the state attorney general’s office to look into the case.
The IDA’s former top two officials – Vincent Cozzolino and Laurie Villasuso, pled guilty to felony charges and former board member Edward Diana pled guilty to a misdemeanor.
