Robert Morone on his Robutrad involvement: Morone may be the only person to serve jail time in connection to the scandal.For Robert Morone the politicking started small — as did the crimes.

In his first years as a county environmental services manager, Morone would make campaign donations to the Republican officials who employed him. He would help with mailings or literature drops during campaign seasons. Sometimes he would enlist the county-contracted and unionized trades workers that he supervised.The workers got job security with the politicking, Morone said in an interview Tuesday. And, sometimes, they would ask for time off in return for the campaigning or for jobs that they completed early. Meanwhile, they were still being paid by the county.

Morone said it all seemed innocent and inconsequential.

“It snowballed,” he said. And now Morone is preparing for a stint in prison.

Political imbroglio

Morone’s crimes — falsifying time cards for the workers he oversaw — became the epicenter of a local political imbroglio. Depending on the perspective, his offenses were either (a) the work of a renegade county employee who enjoyed having his ego massaged by attention from GOP power brokers, or (b) a glaring example of an inability by the GOP county administration to separate politics from the day-to-day task of governing. Morone finds errors in both representations, while acknowledging that the crimes were largely of his own doing and that the offenses stemmed in part from what he saw as a growing need for volunteer politicking by his work force.

“When you’re doing this kind of thing — misbehaving — you think, ‘Well, what if I got caught?'” said Morone, 54. “I always thought I’d get fired … I never thought I’d get prosecuted. Even in the end, when I heard that they were investigating, I never thought they’d prosecute.”

Morone was the liaison to union trades workers with Robutrad Corp. Robutrad, which was dissolved after many of its employees were arrested in December 2008, provided trades workers to the county for jobs such as carpentry or plumbing.

Under Morone’s supervision, Robutrad workers did odd jobs for friends, relatives and politically connected individuals while on the county clock. A Sheriff’s Office investigation determined that Morone and 14 Robutrad workers stole more than $110,000 from county taxpayers in 2008. Federal authorities estimated that the loss to taxpayers was far greater than that.

Earlier this month, a judge sentenced Morone to two years in federal prison. That sentence will likely begin within a month.

To date, 10 Robutrad workers have pleaded guilty to misdemeanors and were sentenced to work weekends and restitution, three pleaded guilty to felonies in exchange for entry into a court-monitored substance abuse and alcohol treatment program. The final trades worker defendant is expected to be allowed into the treatment program also.

Morone could become the only defendant in the case who serves time.

At the sentencing this month, U.S. District Judge David Larimer said Morone pilfered from the public coffers, that he abused his position as a Monroe County employee, and that his crimes embolden the belief in “the public mind that public officials can’t be trusted.”

Morone, a Gates resident, doesn’t deny his crimes.

After the December 2008 arrests, the scandal unsurprisingly ballooned in the political arena, especially after federal authorities charged Morone with crimes. Opponents and would-be opponents of the Republican county administration seized on the case, and guesses were rampant about who had work done at their homes by Robutrad workers.

Two political figures — former GOP operative Andrew Moore and former deputy County Executive James Smith — were indicted. Moore was accused of coercing a Democrat into public political support for a Republican, but the charges were dismissed for lack of evidence.

Smith was accused of illegally shielding Robutrad workers from reprisal for their misdeeds. A jury last year acquitted Smith, who had resigned from the county.

‘It’s not that big’

Why, some have asked, have the recipients of the Robutrad jobs not been prosecuted? But Morone maintains that those individuals paid for the work, having simply hired individuals to do odd jobs — such as painting or plumbing — without knowing that sometimes the workers were also being paid by the county.

In April 2010 the FBI searched the Webster home of longtime GOP fundraiser Irene Matichyn, searching for evidence of “theft or bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds,” federal records revealed. Morone had told authorities of multiple jobs done at the home, which prompted the search.

Matichyn’s attorney, Lawrence Andolina, has said that she was able to show that she paid for the jobs. Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Resnick would not say Tuesday whether the investigation continues, but Morone’s sentencing likely signals an end to the case.

“I haven’t heard a word from (federal authorities),” Andolina said Tuesday.

Morone agreed to help federal authorities but, he said, he had no damning evidence against county superiors. “I was conflicted because (cooperation with authorities) is a result-oriented business,” he said. “To get, you’ve got to give them convictions.”

Federal authorities “wanted to bring me to my knees and make me talk on the bigger fish,” Morone said. “And all along I said, ‘It’s not that big, it’s not that big,'”

No other defendants will likely serve prison time; others have completed community service or been routed into alcohol and substance abuse programs.

As the Robutrad supervisor, Morone said, he struggled to balance work and political demands. The number of political events seemed to increase each year, and he’d try to cut his workers breaks on the job in exchange for their voluntary weekend campaigning.

Republican officials did not demand his help, Morone said, but none questioned why his workers were always present at weekend events. Republicans wanted to demonstrate support from the unionized and Democratic-leaning building trades community, so the presence of the Robutrad workers was often highlighted by candidates at events, Morone said.

“The way to get job security is by elbow grease for the politicians,” Morone said.

Some holiday weekends, the trades workers would march for candidates in three parades, he said. He said he saw the politicking as job protection for his work force — a necessary nuisance that kept them in good stead at times when the county reduced staff.

“As the time went on, I said, ‘This is growing into a monster.'”

Political candidates say they often had volunteer help during campaigns, and assumed the Robutrad group came on their own.

“Throughout her political career, the County Executive (Maggie Brooks) has been fortunate to receive the energetic support of hundreds of dedicated volunteers who have given their own time to support her campaign efforts,” spokesman Noah Lebowitz said in an e-mail.

Quid pro quo

The county jobs often required Robutrad workers to stray from their union shop rules, Morone said. The workers would use their own specialized equipment, would transport county materials in their own vehicles, and were on call around-the-clock for emergencies. In turn, Morone paid them back with days off when they were on the clock, he said, acknowledging the criminal misuse of taxpayer money.

But the Robutrad crimes mushroomed from occasional small time off with pay to workers still being paid while on vacation or jury duty.

Some county and political officials have painted Morone as a political wannabe whose ego was massaged by their attention.

Morone is not surprised by the portrayal, or by the distance officials have placed between him and them.

“I’m radioactive,” he said.

GCRAIG@DemocratandChronicle.com http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20110223/NEWS01/102230352/Robert-Morone-reflects-Robutrad-fraud-case

Vodpod videos no longer available.

 

Robutrad timeline

Dec. 4, 2008: 14 Robutrad workers and county environmental services manager Robert Morone arrested for allegedly stealing more than $110,000 from county taxpayers.
2009
March 19: Democrat and Chronicle reports that federal authorities also investigating Robutrad.
June 17: Morone hit with federal charges of defrauding taxpayers.
June 19: County Executive Maggie Brooks hires law firm to determine whether wrongdoing was more widespread.
July 1: Brooks severs ties with Robutrad, bringing an end to the operation created in late 1980s to provide trades workers to the county.
Aug. 26: Robutrad worker Christopher Gorman pleads guilty to misdemeanor petit larceny and promises restitution. He will be the first of 10 to plead guilty to petit larceny, pledge restitution and work weekends for the county.
Sept. 3: Sheriff’s Office investigators arrest County GOP Executive Director Andrew Moore on indicted charges that Moore forced a Robutrad worker to pen a letter supporting a GOP candidate.
Oct. 7: Former Deputy County Executive James Smith charged with criminally shielding Robutrad workers from discipline.
Oct. 19: At the request of prosecutors, a judge dismisses a felony charge against Moore after District Attorney Michael Green decides there is not enough evidence to support the felony indictment.
Dec. 22: Morone pleads guilty in federal court to defrauding taxpayers. Agrees to assist authorities.
2010
Feb. 26: Morone pleads guilty in County Court to grand larceny.
March 9: Judge dismisses remaining misdemeanor counts against Moore, ruling that grand jury had insufficient evidence to support the charges.
April 1: Smith acquitted by jury.
2011
Jan. 12: Four remaining Robutrad defendants announce they are seeking admission into court-monitored program for substance and alcohol abuse.
Feb. 9: Federal judge sentences Morone to two years in federal prison.
Feb. 16: County Court judge approves substance abuse program for three defendants who plead guilty to felonies. Final defendant scheduled to appear in March also likely to get treatment.
March 4: Morone to be sentenced in County Court for grand larceny. Sentence of one to three years expected to run concurrent with federal sentence.

By the numbers

$110,000 stolen from taxpayers
17 arrests
27 months of legal wrangling
15 guilty pleas (one case still outstanding)
3 substance abuse referrals
1 case dismissed
1 jury acquittal
1 prison term, for ex-county worker Robert Morone.