FBI, IRS get Suffolk attorney Reich's records
NEWSDAY
BY ROBERT E. KESSLER - robert.kessler@newsday.com -February 20, 2008
Federal agents yesterday obtained the business records of a Suffolk County attorney who is at the center of a criminal investigation involving his employment by five Long Island school districts.
Agents of the FBI and the Criminal Investigation Division of the Internal Revenue Service took possession of the records of the attorney, Lawrence Reich, in the parking lot of the federal courthouse in Central Islip from Joseph Conway, the lawyer now representing Reich's former firm, Ingerman Smith, of Hauppauge.
The agents could be seen carting away at least five boxes of records into the courthouse, where Newsday has reported a grand jury has been impaneled to investigate whether Reich improperly got a state pension after the districts reported he was working full time for them while also a partner at Ingerman Smith.
The lids were off several of the boxes, and labels on some of the files related to Reich's dealings could be seen by a reporter. They included the Baldwin, Bellmore-Merrick High School, Copiague, East Meadow and Harborfields districts. Ingerman Smith was paid at least $2.5 million by the five districts while Reich was a partner there, even as each of the districts was reporting to the state that he was their full-time employee.
The presence of agents of the IRS criminal division suggests that the federal probe may involve possible income-tax evasion and money laundering. Newsday has previously reported that federal prosecutors and the FBI were investigating possible mail and wire fraud charges.
"We voluntarily brought the [Reich] documents over and we're cooperating with the government probe," said Conway. Conway was present as the boxes of Reich's files were turned over to the agents. Conway, a partner in the Garden City law firm of LaRusso and Conway, was formerly the head of the Long Island office of the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District. Reich could not be reached for comment. In an interview last week, he said he had done nothing wrong.
In a related development, New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said in a telephone interview that his office plans to "aggressively" investigate Reich and his relationship with the school districts, both criminally and civilly. Conway, in an interview with a reporter yesterday, said that Ingerman Smith had reported Reich's relationship to the school districts to state pension authorities before the firm and Reich "parted ways" last year.
In January, Reich went to work for the Garden City law firm of Jaspan, Schlesinger and Hoffman. Newsday reported yesterday that Reich had been suspended from that law firm, which also asked for his resignation. A spokesman for the state comptroller's office, which oversees state pension plans, said last night that the office could not immediately obtain copies of any correspondence between Ingerman Smith and the state.
When asked why Ingerman Smith had not made Reich's relationship with the districts known to other officials or law firms that might want to hire him, Conway said the firm had done what it felt was best.
ROSLYN SCANDAL: ILL-GOTTEN GAINS
The following items, surrendered by former Roslyn school officials Pamela Gluckin and Debra Rigano, will be auctioned off to reimburse the district:
Men's Cartier chronograph watch with diamond bezel
14-karat white gold necklace with diamond chips
1-carat center stone diamond slide
14-karat yellow gold diamond bracelet with green stones
Guess men's watch
18-karat gold Rolex watch band
1-carat diamond earrings
1 original painting, 12 numbered prints and a dolphin sculpture from the Gallery Lassen in Maui, including: Mother's Love, Dawn of a New Era, Moonlit Serenity, Lords of the Millennium, Circle of Life, New Hope II, Moonlit Cove, Indigo Night, Lahaina Symphony, Island Romance
Will someone PLEASE give the FBI and the IRS criminal division a friggin map to White Plains, New York. They should come at night and bring a flash light. And see the rats scatter.....
ReplyDeleteYes, after the FBI hits NYC first, because there you will find the biggest RATS you have ever seen in your life.THE BIG CHEESE.
ReplyDeletethese fbi agents don't do anything unless it's handed to them on a silver plater. They're lazy and don't want to work. With all the corruption what more evidence does anyone need!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree that the FBI is lazy. When they contacted me in 2006 about COURT CORRUPTION they visited me with the idea that i was going to tell them of the old, circa 1930's-1980's, CHICAGO AND NY CITY style CORRUPTION....bringing in the old brown paper bag to the judges chambers!
ReplyDeleteWhen i presented them with the more high tech corruption...altering transcripts, wiretapping,conversations judges have at their residence and courthouse closed door meetings with atty's, usage of STATE EMPLOYEES in clandestine actions towards those that expose them etc....they appeared shocked and asked me how they should approach what they could not believe! Me...a non-FBI agent...should they not have the solution or advisors? As you can imagine the investigation waned quickly and was through in 3 months, even though i did direct them and give them excellent advice about the procedure to use! They are more amusing to me than this court corruption salvation!