Mount Vernon's Former Corporate Counsel Guilty In Fraud Scheme

MOUNT VERNON, NY — Former City of Mount Vernon Corporation Counsel Lawrence Porcari for abusing his position as a public official. He was convicted Monday over a scheme to defraud the Mount Vernon Board of Water Supply of $365,000 to pay the personal legal expenses of former Mayor Richard Thomas and a public relations firm.

"Mr. Porcari violated his public duty, manipulated city finances and authorized payments of thousands of city dollars for the defense of former Mayor Richard Thomas' criminal case," said State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. "He also failed to protect the interests of the citizens of Mount Vernon, and is now a convicted felon."

A Westchester County jury found Porcari guilty of:

• Corrupting the Government in the First Degree (B felony)
• Grand Larceny in the Second Degree as a Crime of Public Corruption (B felony)
• Defrauding the Government (E felony)
• Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree (E felony) – 3 Counts
• Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the Second Degree (A misdemeanor) – 1 Count

Porcari misappropriated funds from the City of Mount Vernon Board of Water Supply to pay law firms for the personal defense of former Mount Vernon Mayor Richard Thomas in criminal proceedings, as well as a public relations firm hired at the time of Thomas’ arrest in March 2018.

Approval for the rate of payment for one of the law firms and the public relations firm was sought from the City’s Board of Estimate and Contract on multiple dates in April and May of 2018 but was never obtained.

So, instead, Porcari arranged for payments from the funds from the Board of Water Supply, which consists of money paid by customers for their use of water and whose use is limited by state and local law to Board of Water Supply purposes, prosecutors said.

The scheme continued into the fall of 2018 with payments from the Board of Water Supply to a second firm later retained for Thomas’s defense. To further the scheme, Porcari submitted memorandums to the Board of Water Supply for “emergency” payments to the law firms, including memorandums containing false statements.

The trial took place in Westchester County Court in White Plains, New York, before Judge David Zuckerman, from Dec 3-16. Sentencing is scheduled for March 4, 2020.

“Individuals who cheat taxpayers, commit fraud, or violate the public trust have no place in the state of New York, and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James.

SEE ALSO:

• Mount Vernon Corporate Counsel Indicted
• Mount Vernon Mayor Pleads Guilty, Will Step Down