GOSHEN – The Orange County Legislature committee charged with investigating the awarding of an information technology consulting contract to the StarCIO company found no criminality or wrongdoing in the selection of the company. What it did find was often sloppy or incomplete paperwork in the contract selection process and that the contract was improperly procured.
The committee, chaired by Legislator Kevin Hines, presented their report on Wednesday saying there was no “sweetheart” deal as alleged by State Senator James Skoufis and four fellow Democratic county legislators that Human Resources Commissioner Langdon Chapman had nothing to with awarding the IT contract to StarCIO, owned by his brother-in-law, Isaac Sacolick.
The contract, which came into question in October 2023, raised flags after growing from a two-month agreement for $65,000 to a year-long arrangement for services totaling more than $800,000.
The committee’s report also found that contrary to allegations that Sacolick was in financial straits with his home mortgage, it was, in fact, paid in full.
The special committee did find fault with incomplete documentation of procurement and said that policy should be redrafted and that administration of contracts going forward should be addressed by the executive office. In this case, members found that no one had negotiated the contract and that a sufficient number of competing quotes were not secured before the contract was executed. They also identified problems with the administration of the contract including payments made before contract extensions were signed.
The report also found that StarCIO was given “highly confidential” information before it was granted the contract.
The committee said the legislators and Skoufis acted “irresponsibly” in making their allegations. Hines said that there was not enough evidence to support that the contract was fraudulent or criminal but acknowledged that there were mistakes made.
Meanwhile, Skoufis said he is pleased that the legislature’s “central finding confirmed what has been obvious from the start: the StarCIO contract was not properly procured.” He went on to add, “From soliciting fake quotes to illicitly escalating the contract’s cost to taxpayers, the report’s findings make clear the county administration has been lying to the public for months. My team and I are proud to have helped expose this wrongdoing in October.”
The senator also said as far as the question of criminality, “the county legislature’s attempt to cover for their political friends is of no consequence. I have said from the start that law enforcement will be the final arbiter of criminality. I am grateful the FBI is thoroughly investigating the matter.”
