Former Town Supervisor Sentenced In Theft Of Hurricane Relief Funds

PRATTSVILLE, NY — A former town supervisor who admitted he stole state funds earmarked for Hurricane Irene recovery for his town received his sentence Thursday.

Kory O’Hara, 45, the former Prattsville town supervisor was sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and $24,915 in restitution to the state of New York, for committing wire fraud in connection with a grant given to Prattsville in the wake of Hurricane Irene.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman of the Northern District of New York said, in August 2011, Hurricane Irene caused significant damage to Prattsville, resulting in the issuance of millions of dollars in rehabilitation grants to the town and its residents.

As supervisor, O’Hara entered into various grant agreement, including with the New York State Housing Trust Fund Corporation.

Freedman said, in pleading guilty in July, O’Hara admitted that between 2013 and 2015, he obtained false invoices from a Prattsville-based modular home business, Moore’s Homes, purporting to reflect construction work on O’Hara’s automotive garage, O’Hara’s Service Station, which Moore’s Homes did not perform.

O’Hara issued checks to Moore’s homes reflecting payment on the invoices, but Moore’s Homes returned all the money.

O’Hara was the town supervisor at the time and submitted the false invoices and fully reimbursed checks to Prattsville and the state Housing Trust Fund Corporation to fraudulently obtain $24,915 in grant money under the New York Main Street Program.

At the time of his guilty plea, Freedman said O’Hara faced up to 20 years in prison, a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of up to three years and a maximum fine of $250,000, in addition to paying restitution to the state.