Critics of Yorktown Highway Superintendent Allege Corruption, Criminal Activity to DA's Office

Critics of Yorktown highway superintendent Eric DiBartolo said they were called to go down to the Westchester District Attorney’s Office to speak with investigators after they contacted them to look into corruption in town. 

Fred Gulitz, William LaPierre, Steve Gardner, along with other residents and some members of the highway department met with investigators on Tuesday. Last week, Fred Gulitz said that the investigators have been in town a few times and have subpoenaed a number of town officials for their statements.

"This is just the beginning," said Gulitz, who said he had been advised not to discuss the matter or identify how many people were asked to make statements. 

Documentation had also been sent to the Public Integrity Bureau of the New York State Attorney General's Office to look into allegations the three had made against DiBartolo. Westchester County District Attorney spokesperson Lucian Chalfen declined to comment pending the investigation.

A recent  criticized DiBartolo for directing an emergency contract toward his sister-in-law's company for an oil spill clean up that took place in 1998. He was also criticized for irregularities in bidding processes for various equipment and auditors found pornographic images on his work computer.

The report covers the time period from Jan. 1, 2007 to May 13, 2011, but Gulitz, LaPierre and Gardner have said they don't think the audit went far enough. They had , who then told them to refer the audit to the District Attorney's Office for review.

DiBartolo's lawyer Clement Patti said he has not been notified of any specific allegations and that his client's critics have a personal vendetta against him.

"It certainly appears at this point that the individuals are attempting to use the government as a sword for baseless allegations," Patti said. 

Gulitz said things got personal after DiBartolo sued him and after town employees had allegedly harassed his son Kyle Gulitz, a former highway department worker. Incidents included a worker allegedly bringing in a swastika armband and another giving Gulitz a Nazi salute. Gulitz's son  by coworkers.

"There seems to be a for public officials and normal workers," Fred Gulitz said, referring to a  who allegedly drew a swastika on a political sign, yet Gulitz said no criminal charges were filed against the town workers in his son's case. "Nothing ever happened to the town workers that wore swastikas. It's become personal because Eric [DiBartolo] didn't do anything about it." 

"I wouldn't have made it personal based on my son's lawsuit, but when he sued me, I felt he was infringing on my first amendment rights," Gulitz said.

Gulitz and LaPierre are named in a defamation suit DiBartolo filed over comments they made at a town meeting in March. 

DiBartolo and LaPierre, who were members of the Yorktown Heights Fire Department together, have feuded for years. DiBartolo is a partner of the Yorktown Funeral Home, which LaPierre, owner of Clark Funeral Home, said was an attempt to hurt his business. Gardner ran unsuccessfully against DiBartolo in 2009 for the position of highway superintendent. 

Patch has filed a Freedom of Information Law request with the town for copies of subpoenas served related to the investigation. The town has not yet granted the request, but supervisor Susan Siegel said the town has already denied a similar request.

"To release it would impound a law enforcement investigation," she said.