Putnam Sheriff Begged Feds To Arrest County DA: LoHud

PUTNAM COUNTY, NY — Putnam County Sheriff Donald Smith, whose accusations against former District Attorney Adam Levy ended up costing the county $150,000 to settle a defamation lawsuit, apparently was so bent on getting Levy that he wrote letters to many federal agencies, an investigative report by The Journal News revealed Thursday.

In June, Smith admitted he made false statements about Levy after arresting his personal trainer for child rape. Smith retracted his statements about Levy and withdrew a lawsuit against him.

The trainer, Alexandru Hossu, an undocumented Romanian immigrant, was acquitted in 2014. Hossu's subsequent $45 million lawsuit against Smith and Putnam County is moving forward in the courts.

According to The Journal News, Smith didn't just make public comments about Levy, he mounted an extensive letter writing campaign as sheriff to the Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies, as well as New York's governor and attorney general. Then he lied in a deposition, TJN reported.

Read the entire article on lohud.com.

In June, Levy said Smith had done it to influence the 2015 election, and that county voters should remember that in November, when he is on the ballot again.

Thursday, Smith's challenger for the job of Putnam County Sheriff, Robert L. Langley Jr., said that the TJN report reveals far more extensive lies and abuse of office than the settlement had revealed.

“The people of Putnam County have paid Smith to protect us,” said Langley. “Instead, he committed fraud and violated the public trust; he spent nearly his entire last term fabricating charges in a personal vendetta. Smith is a bully with badge—a badge we pay for.

"Smith’s lies are costing taxpayers money—a lot of money. We’ve already paid $125,000 for his settlement with Levy. Now we’re likely to pay millions of dollars to settle the civil rights case with Alexandru Hossu. What further wrongdoings will be revealed about Smith? How much more will we pay for his criminality?"

Smith has been Putnam County Sheriff for 15 years. Langley, a Democrat, faces Smith on the ballot in November. The job pays $142,818 annually.

IMAGE: Putnam County Courthouse/ Patch file photo

SEE ALSO:

• Former DA Wins Apology, Money From Putnam Sheriff, County
  
• Southeast-Brewster Election 2015 Results: Levy Concedes
• DA: Sheriff Provided 'Erroneous' Address in Rape Case
• Levy: Putnam Sheriff's Allegations Are 'Unfounded'
• Smith on Rape Case: Politics Won't Shake Focus
• Rape Case: Putnam DA, Sheriff Clash Over Address, Recusal