Decision In Rockland's Latest Corruption Trial

NEW CITY, NY — Spring Valley village Trustee Vilair Fonvil, who actually doesn't live in New York, was convicted Friday on sweeping corruption and larceny charges connected to the village's 2016 summer camp program.

Fonvil, whose term ends in 2019, lives at 23 Devon Drive, West Orange, New Jersey, according to Rockland County District Attorney Thomas P. Zugibe.

He was convicted after a bench trial of:

• One count of Corrupting the Government in the Third Degree, a class “D” Felony
• One count of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree as a Crime of Public Corruption, a class “C” Felony
• One count of Money Laundering in the Fourth Degree, a class “E” Felony
• One count of Receiving Reward for Official Misconduct In The Second Degree, a class “E” Felony
relating to municipal corruption charges.

“The corruption demonstrated by Village Trustee Fonvil is another sad example of the type of behavior that undermines our faith in government," Zugibe said Friday in his announcement. "Convictions like these send a loud and clear message that public officials who willfully defy the law will be fully investigated, prosecuted and punished for their actions. The people of Rockland County are fed up with public servants who use their positions for personal gain, rather than to provide the honest services the community expects.”

Fonvil stole $11,000 from over $25,000 in financing the trustees approved at his request for the 2016 summer camp program.

At his urging, the Village Board of Trustees passed a June 2016 resolution authorizing the payment
of $24,225 to Jermika Depas for the purpose of coordinating the transportation of Spring Valley children to
summer camps in the Town of Ramapo. The contract, assembled by Fonvil and signed by Fonvil on behalf of the Village, called for Depas to hire six bus monitors to supervise the children.

Then, Fonvil and Depas hired only three monitors.

Fonvil was involved in the day-to-day operations of the program and solely responsible for paying the three monitors weekly. The monitors were paid in cash and were never issued W2 forms.

Also, days into the camp program, Fonvil and Depas ceased utilizing the bus company that was being paid directly by the Village to transport the children.

Fonvil proposed using village-owned buses. At Fonvil’s request, on July 20, 2016 a Special Meeting was held and the Village Board passed a resolution to issue another check to Depas for an additional $3750, ostensibly for extra costs incurred due to this change.

However, instead of incurring the cost of hiring a bus driver, Depas assigned one of the monitors to drive the village-owned bus.

During the final two weeks of the camp program, Depas, utilizing the Spring Valley funds, purchased three
bank checks totaling $16,700. Two of the checks were issued in the names of two of the bus monitors and a
third was issued in the name of an individual not associated with the program.

Within hours of their purchase, all three checks were cashed at the same bank at which they were purchased.
$11,000 of this money was then given directly to Fonvil by the person whom cashed the check. In one
instance, Fonvil paid the individual $500 to cash the check and give him the balance of the funds.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 20, 2018 and faces a maximum of 15 years in state prison.

Friday's conviction was the culmination of a lengthy probe by the Public Corruption Task Force, which is made up of the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office, federal and local law enforcement agencies. Executive Assistant District Attorney Richard Kennison Moran of the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office Public Corruption Task Force prosecuted the case.

"Once again, we see a combination of hubris and greed corrupt a local official in Spring Valley," Zugibe said at the time of Fonvil's indictment.

Fonvil was involved in early 2017 in an unsuccessful takeover attempt of the Spring Valley Democratic Committee by Ramapo Democratic Town Chair Mona Montal, who also works for the town which has been plagued with corruption issues.

SEE:

• Spring Valley Trustee Charged in Camp Transportation Scheme
• "Corridor of Corruption" Scandal Nets Another Guilty Plea
• Ramapo Town Supervisor Verdict in Fraud and Conspiracy Case
  
• Plea in Ramapo Development Agency Fraud Case
  
• St. Lawrence Resigns Chairmanship of County Boards
  
• Reaction to Ramapo Indictments: Calls for Review, Reform
  
• Senate Passes Legislation to Fight Illegal Housing in Ramapo
  
• Rockland Throws Down the Gauntlet to Ramapo, other Rockland Developers
  
• Town Supervisor Stadium Fraud Verdict: Officials, Prosecutors Respond
  
• Ramapo Demands Outsize Payments from School Districts
  
• FBI Raids New City Test Lab
  
• FBI in Spring Valley Again
  
• Desmaret Sentenced in Spring Valley Bribery Scheme
  
• Spring Valley Building Inspector, Businessman Indicted
  
• SEC Charges 4 in Ramapo; Seeks Financial Penalties, Court
  
• Ramapo Planning Director Indicted
  
• State Slaps Ramapo on Private-school Fire Inspections
  
• Firefighters, Officials Call for State to Intervene in Ramapo, Spring Valley Code Enforcement
  
• Tress Resigns from Ramapo Town Board as Part of Plea Bargain
  
• East Ramapo Trustee Accused of Using Fake In-District Address
  
• Director Takes Plea in Ramapo Development Agency Fraud Case
  
• Illegal School Holding Classes In Stadium Funded Through Fraud
  
• Ruling on Takeover of Spring Valley Democratic Committee

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