Mount Vernon Mayor Indicted

MOUNT VERNON, NY — Mayor Richard Thomas was indicted Wednesday in the corruption case revealed in March, according to news reports.

In March, then-Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and New York Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli alleged among other things that Thomas stole $12,900 from his campaign committee, and diverted over $45,000 from his inaugural committee for personal use.

Acting Attorney General Barbara Underwood acted despite Thomas's attempt two days ago to stop the whole mess. Thomas sued saying an acting AG had no legal standing to bring the indictment, the New York Post reported. According to the Post, a spokeswoman for thee acting AG dismissed the entire idea.

A grand jury handed up the indictment Wednesday, News 12 reported.

Among the acts alleged by the AG's office were using campaign and inaugural funds to help pay off personal expenses including car payments on a Volkswagen and a Ford Explorer, insurance policies, rent and a Chanel purse valued at $2,000. In addition, Schneiderman said, after winning election, Thomas used his campaign's American Express card to pay for two airport meals when he took his family on vacation to Mexico. He is alleged to have tried to disguise the purpose and location of the meals.

That includes a family breakfast at JFK Airport that Thomas listed on FORT's NYSBOE 2016 January Periodic filing as a housekeeping expense for "food"; Thomas is alleged to have listed the restaurant's corporate address, 352 Park Avenue in Manhattan, on the disclosure as the place of expenditure. The complaint also alleges that Thomas falsely disclosed a meal at a Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurant in Mexico, using the address of the Bubba Gump restaurant located in Times Square in Manhattan and falsely designating the meal as a "volunteer appreciation" event.

After the inauguration, Schneiderman said the pattern of corruption changed but did not end. He alleged a local person paid off about $7,000 on Thomas's Amex account and was then appointed to a high-ranking law enforcement position in the city. Another person paid $6,000 toward Thomas's tuition at the NYU School of Business. Schneiderman alleged Thomas did not file information about either with the city ethics commission.

"The allegations are false," Thomas said in March. "I want to reassure the people of Mount Vernon that they are related to the campaign and not my service in office. I have great confidence in our legal system and have no doubt I will be able to prove our full compliance. I will not allow the process to distract me from my service and duties. I expect to be fully vindicated."

SEE: Campaign, Inaugural Funds Were Mayor's Personal Piggybank: AG