Suozzi's Karma
06-24-2005, 11:38 PM
Grand jury probe of Nassau ‘seasonal clerks’
BY CELESTE HADRICK
STAFF WRITER
June 25, 2005
Nassau District Attorney Denis Dillon confirmed on Friday he has opened a grand jury criminal investigation into alleged payroll irregularities involving two county parks department "seasonal clerks" who each earned about $65,000 last year.
"We have issued grand jury subpoenas and have obtained various documents in response to the grand jury process," Dillon wrote in a letter to Eric Naughton, the county legislature's budget review director, which was was signed by Frank Quigley, chief of Dillon's special investigations bureau. "We intend to continue the investigation and to comprehensively address any and all issues of potential criminal liability."
A Dillon spokeswoman Friday confirmed the letter, obtained by Newsday, but declined to comment.
Naughton said Friday he had contacted Dillon, a Republican, because he wanted to do his own review but didn't want to impede any criminal investigation while he reviewed whether Democratic County Executive Thomas Suozzi's administration had followed county policy in appointing Charles McKinney and Shomwa Shamapande to temporary low-level seasonal clerk jobs while authorizing full-time, high-level pay.
Newsday reported on Wednesday that Shamapande, a Manhattan resident who has worked as a national and state Democratic political operative, often claimed to have worked more than 50 hours a week, earning $25 an hour, for two years. Another Democrat, McKinney, also of Manhattan, earned $65 an hour for two years. Most seasonal clerks earn less than $12 an hour. Suozzi said both were hired by Deputy County Executive Michael Klein, who also lives in Manhattan.
The county code says new Nassau employees should have lived in the county for at least a year unless they have extraordinary talents and abilities.
The same day Newsday questioned their pay, Suozzi fired Shamapande, citing irregularities in his time sheets, and referred the matter to Dillon. Suozzi aides said they saw no irregularities in McKinney's records. Shamapande said he worked all the hours claimed.
Responding to Dillon's letter, Suozzi aide Arda Nazerian said, "They're obviously moving very quickly to resolve a matter that we found and referred to them."
BY CELESTE HADRICK
STAFF WRITER
June 25, 2005
Nassau District Attorney Denis Dillon confirmed on Friday he has opened a grand jury criminal investigation into alleged payroll irregularities involving two county parks department "seasonal clerks" who each earned about $65,000 last year.
"We have issued grand jury subpoenas and have obtained various documents in response to the grand jury process," Dillon wrote in a letter to Eric Naughton, the county legislature's budget review director, which was was signed by Frank Quigley, chief of Dillon's special investigations bureau. "We intend to continue the investigation and to comprehensively address any and all issues of potential criminal liability."
A Dillon spokeswoman Friday confirmed the letter, obtained by Newsday, but declined to comment.
Naughton said Friday he had contacted Dillon, a Republican, because he wanted to do his own review but didn't want to impede any criminal investigation while he reviewed whether Democratic County Executive Thomas Suozzi's administration had followed county policy in appointing Charles McKinney and Shomwa Shamapande to temporary low-level seasonal clerk jobs while authorizing full-time, high-level pay.
Newsday reported on Wednesday that Shamapande, a Manhattan resident who has worked as a national and state Democratic political operative, often claimed to have worked more than 50 hours a week, earning $25 an hour, for two years. Another Democrat, McKinney, also of Manhattan, earned $65 an hour for two years. Most seasonal clerks earn less than $12 an hour. Suozzi said both were hired by Deputy County Executive Michael Klein, who also lives in Manhattan.
The county code says new Nassau employees should have lived in the county for at least a year unless they have extraordinary talents and abilities.
The same day Newsday questioned their pay, Suozzi fired Shamapande, citing irregularities in his time sheets, and referred the matter to Dillon. Suozzi aides said they saw no irregularities in McKinney's records. Shamapande said he worked all the hours claimed.
Responding to Dillon's letter, Suozzi aide Arda Nazerian said, "They're obviously moving very quickly to resolve a matter that we found and referred to them."