NY AG, Orange County DA Probe Inflammatory Lie About Migrants In HV

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — The New York Attorney General and the Orange County District Attorney's Office are looking into the lie about homeless military veterans being evicted from a local hotel to make room for migrants, a tale that stoked days of outrage on cable news networks.

"We’re aware of the allegations and are reviewing them," the AG's office said Wednesday.

"To note, lying, without more, does not itself constitute criminal conduct, particularly absent allegations of financial impropriety," Orange County DA spokesman Ryan Greenbaum told Patch. "However, the District Attorney's Office is investigating the facts and circumstances in this matter as it pertains to allegations of fraud related to veterans."

Several politicians in New York who helped spread the story last week called for the investigations, saying they were duped.

The uproar began after New York City bused a small group of asylum seekers to a hotel in Orange County.

SEE: Officials Surprised As Asylum-Seekers Arrive In Newburgh

The city is struggling to accommodate an influx of migrants from the U.S. border with Mexico. Mayor Eric Adams' plan to house a few of them temporarily in the Hudson Valley with services prompted a political backlash from Republican county officials, who accused the mayor of trying to offload his problems on unprepared communities.

Orange County declared a state of emergency and obtained restraining orders, but not before 20 to 30 people arrived.

Then, the founder of a small charity in the area added an explosive claim: To make way for the migrants, the Newburgh hotel evicted nearly two dozen homeless veterans, The Associated Press reported.

That story, told by Yerik Israel Toney Foundation chief executive Sharon Toney-Finch, was picked up May 12 by the New York Post and quickly followed by Fox News, Newsmax and other conservative news outlets. The Post on Friday published a follow-up story reporting on the latest development, AP reported.

"Our veterans have been placed in another hotel due to what’s going on with the immigrants," Toney-Finch told the Post in its initial story, saying her group had made arrangements to find alternative lodging. "We didn’t waste any time."

State Assemblyman Brian Maher, a Republican, introduced legislation that would ban the displacement of homeless veterans. In an appearance on Fox News, he called the purported evictions an "absolute embarrassment on all fronts."

Cracks in the story emerged after an investigation by the Mid-Hudson News. The managers of the hotel told the newspaper the story wasn't true. A receipt purporting to show that the Crossroads Hotel had been paid $37,800 to house the veterans appeared to have been sloppily doctored.

In a follow-up report Friday, the Mid-Hudson News reported that several men staying at a homeless shelter in Poughkeepsie, New York, came forward to say they were recruited to pretend they were among the veterans kicked out of the hotel. The paper quoted some of the men as saying they were offered $200, food and alcohol to take part in the ruse.

They said they met with Toney-Finch, then participated in a meeting at a veterans center in Orange County with local chamber of commerce officials.

Toney-Finch denied giving any money to the men.

In a brief interview with The Associated Press, she declined to say directly that her story was not true, but she suggested that a misunderstanding might have led to confusion.

"We should have verified better," she said. She abruptly ended the phone call when pressed for details.

Maher said in a written statement that he had a conversation with Toney-Finch on Thursday where he learned that the story about homeless veterans being displaced was false.

"The YIT Foundation purports to protect and support veterans, but the dishonest claims and fabrication of the facts by YIT does enormous harm to our homeless veterans by creating mistrust," Maher said, referring to the foundation by its shortened name. He called for an immediate investigation by the New York State Attorney General’s office and the Orange County District Attorney into the YIT Foundation.

Maher told Spectrum 1 News: "Some really horrific responses came from this. Life-and-death threats were made to hotel staff which, in hindsight, is something I wish I had focused on more as a potential possibility."

The Associated Press reported drive-by harassment of the migrants as well.

"The fabrication is so disheartening and wrong," U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-18), who fundraised on the story, said after the truth came out. "It undermines the work of helping our veterans and makes more difficult our efforts to stop NYC from illegally moving migrants to Upstate New York communities without resources or their approval. This must stop."

Congressman Mike Lawler, who represents District 17 and who worried about the possibility of single adult male asylum-seekers being housed near universities and a high school, said after the news broke:

"The false claims made by YIT Foundation Executive Director Sharon Toney-Finch are truly appalling. Her decision to exploit our veterans - and the genuine admiration and love our community has for them - could have turned an already tense situation into something much worse. I am glad the truth was uncovered and trust those responsible will be held accountable after a full investigation by the proper authorities."

Rep. Pat Ryan, who said last week he was outraged that "incompetence" by NYC officials had hurt homeless veterans, tweeted, "here’s what remains true: our immigration system is broken. And veteran homelessness is a national epidemic. We need to come together as Americans to solve both crises."

Rockland County Executive Ed Day said on Facebook, "It’s regrettable knowing the head of this organization felt it appropriate to deceive the public on what is already an incredibly heightened situation.

"But let’s be clear, this does not absolve Adams of the grief he is still causing many with his stealth campaign," Day said, adding that NYC's "sanctuary city" declaration against Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations during the Trump administration was now "obligations" Adams was forcing "on towns, villages, cities, and counties lacking the status and infrastructure."

Adams also called for an investigation into what he called a "fraudulent claim."

New York says more than 65,000 migrants have arrived in the city over the past year, with the first of them bused by Republican governors in border states to draw attention to their displeasure over federal border policies.

Since the city's plan was discovered, 34 of 57 counties outside New York City, and two towns, have declared States of Emergency, according to a Facebook post yesterday from the Rockland County Executive's Office.

Five of the hotels who had made contracts with the city have sued, accusing local officials of "catering to xenophobic and political interests," The Journal News reported.

There was also a media-induced uproar about two homeless couples, one with a baby, who were "booted" from a Yonkers hotel where some asylum-seekers have been housed.

Eviction didn't come into it.

"In both cases they were daily hotel guests," Yonkers Mayor's Office spokeswoman Christina Gilmartin told Patch Wednesday. "Upon check-out time, they were advised that there were no vacancies when they both went to the front desk to rebook a night. The hotel has 100 guest rooms and, NYC had only booked 50. The Manager advised the City that everyone else with an extended stay reservation was honored."

She said local agencies Neighbors Link and Westhab were helping the households.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

SEE:

• Putnam Follows Other Counties, Declares Migrant State Of Emergency
• Judge Orders NYC To Stop Bringing Migrants To Dutchess Temporarily
• NYC Plan For Migrants Like 'Human Trafficking' - Rockland County Exec
• Orange County Exec Declares State of Emergency Over NYC Asylum-Seeker Plan
• Latimer Cites History, Bible Over NYC Migrant Controversy
• 'They Are Now Our Guests': More Asylum Seekers Arrive In Westchester
• End Of Title 42 Hasn't Stopped Migrant Surge To U.S.