Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin has been accused of stealing campaign funds stemming from his 2017 campaign to pay for personal debts, according to the office of New York State Attorney General Letitia James.
McLaughlin, who won decisively won a second term earlier last month against Democratic challenger Gwen Wright, was arraigned in Rensselaer County Court earlier on Wednesday.
McLaughlin is charged with Grand Larceny in the Third Degree for the $3,500 campaign fund theft and Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree for the related filing of a financial disclosure report with the New York State Board of Elections on Dec. 4, 2017, claiming that the campaign expenditure was for “consulting,” though it was being diverted for his personal use. If convicted of the felony charges, McLaughlin will be removed from office pursuant to Public Officers Law Section 30(1)(e).
“Elected officials are entrusted to protect and serve, but Mr. McLaughlin allegedly violated that trust by using his campaign funds as a personal piggybank,” said James in a statement. “New Yorkers should have every confidence that the money they donate to their preferred candidates will fund that candidate’s campaign, not personal debts or expenses. My office will continue to root out corruption at every level of government and go after those who abuse public trust for private benefit.”
State authorities allege that in November 2017, a personal dispute erupted between McLaughlin and a staffer over a $3,500 personal debt owed to the staffer, as well as his possession of the staffer’s laptop computer and iPad. In response to the staffer’s payment demand, McLaughlin directed a $5,000 check to be drawn from the “Steve McLaughlin for County Executive” campaign fund, payable to Hudson Valley Strategies, a political consulting firm used by McLaughlin. On November 21, 2017, the $5,000 check was deposited into the consulting firm’s bank account. Later that day, a Hudson Valley Strategies principal drafted a $3,500 bank check from the account and delivered it, the laptop, and the iPad to the staffer.
McLaughlin, a vocal critic of ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, wields considerable influence in GOP politics in Rensselaer County and within the state.
