By Johnathan Bandler, The Journal News
Mount Vernon Mayor Richard Thomas got a plea offer he couldn’t refuse Monday, avoiding a felony conviction, not having to serve prison time or probation and keeping the prospect of holding public office again in the future.
Thomas will have to vacate the mayor’s seat, however, by Sept. 30 after pleading guilty to a pair of misdemeanors related to his misuse of campaign funds in the 2015 election.
The plea deal, far better than anything previously offered Thomas by state prosecutors, came as jury selection was set to begin in his long-anticipated trial. But instead of prospective jurors, the Westchester County courtroom was filled with about two dozen city employees and other supporters of the mayor.
The 36-year-old Thomas pleaded guilty to fourth-degree attempted grand larceny and second-degree offering a false instrument for filing. He admitted that he misappropriated $12,900 from his campaign committee in 2015, failed to report on a campaign finance filing his receipt of $4,000 of that money and that he falsely claimed a $2,500 payment as a reimbursement for campaign expenses.
He was immediately sentenced by state Supreme Court Justice Barry Warhit to a one-year conditional discharge, meaning he will avoid probation or jail time if he commits no other crimes and complies with the conditions of the plea. That includes stepping down from office, paying a $13,000 fine by the end of May 2020 and not seeking elective office or a public service job during that time. Thomas had faced a third-degree grand larceny charge that carried a prison sentence of up to seven years.
“By using campaign funds to line his own pockets, Thomas broke the law, and violated public trust,” state Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. “New Yorkers put their faith in our public servants, and Thomas’ gross violation of that faith constitutes the utmost disloyalty to those he was sworn to serve.
State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli joined in the statement, saying Thomas had misused the money “to fund his lifestyle instead of funding his campaign.” The charges grew out of a joint investigation by the two offices.
Why state prosecutors suddenly agreed to back off their insistence on a felony plea was not immediately apparent and a spokeswoman for James declined to comment on that. Thomas had twice considered plea deals but rejected them in recent months.
He insisted afterward that if he didn’t have young children “and a real future to lose” he would have welcomed a trial to clear his name even if it subjected him to prison time if convicted.
Src: https://www.lohud.com/story/news/crime/2019/07/08/mount-vernon-mayor-richard-thomas-pleads-guilty-will-resign/1672776001/