Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Fourth Defendant Pleads Guilty In Monroe County LDC Case

A fourth man charged in the Local Development Corporation bid-rigging scandal pleaded guilty in a Rochester courtroom on Tuesday.

Businessman Daniel Lynch is the final defendant in the multi-million dollar LDC scandal in Monroe County. A statement from the New York State Comptroller and Attorney General says that Lynch pleaded guilty to four felonies, including grand larceny and restraint of trade.

As part of the guilty plea in Monroe County Court, it is expected that Lynch will  be sentenced to two and a third to seven years in state prison and have to pay about $600,000 in restitution.

At this point, he  is the only one of the defendants in the LDC case to get prison time. Others who have pleaded guilty in recent weeks include the county’s former IT director, Nelson Rivera, a local businessman John Maggio, and former security Director for the county water authority, Robert Wiesner, who is also the husband of former Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks.

The men were charged in the indictment with a scheme to rig the bidding process for a number of multi-million dollar public works contracts in Monroe County.  Those contracts included a $99 million contract to provide upgrades and maintenance for the county’s IT infrastructure, and a $212 million contract to provide upgrades and maintenance for the county’s public safety and security systems.  Lynch was also charged in the indictment with inflating contracts and creating false contracts as part of these projects, and using the money from the inflated and false contracts for his own benefit or the benefit of others.

"Mr. Lynch's conviction is the fourth to stem from my office’s audits and investigation of the widespread misuse of LDCs," said State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. "These individuals saddled taxpayers with millions in unnecessary costs, and thought they could get away with it. What transpired in Monroe County should send a warning statewide.”

"Government contracts must be awarded fairly and competitively," State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said. "Today's guilty plea demonstrates that my office is committed to ensuring that taxpayer funds are being spent appropriately. Those who violate the public's trust will be held accountable."

Randy Gorbman is WXXI's director of news and public affairs. Randy manages the day-to-day operations of WXXI News on radio, television, and online.