Greece Supervisor Bill Reilich addresses town contractor fraud

Greece, New York – Greece Supervisor Bill Reilich has issued a strong response following the guilty plea of the Town’s former Deputy Supervisor to a felony involving contractors working on Town construction projects. As part of the sentencing, the court has mandated restitution to the Town, reinforcing the severity of the misconduct.

Over the past year, the Town of Greece has fully cooperated with the District Attorney’s investigation, providing tens of thousands of documents as requested. Following the indictment, the Town’s audit firm conducted an additional event audit. While no unusual activity was detected, the firm noted that collusion is often difficult to identify through paperwork alone. This special audit supplemented the annual audit regularly conducted by the Town’s auditors.

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New details emerged in court, revealing that at least one contractor had fraudulently billed the Town for services performed at a personal residence of a Town employee. Supervisor Reilich has made it clear that such fraudulent behavior is entirely unacceptable and will not be tolerated. In light of these revelations, the Town is taking swift and decisive action to address the situation and prevent any future misconduct.

With the criminal investigation concluded, the Town will now aggressively pursue any contractor found to have engaged in fraud or breached public trust. While fraud is a risk in any governmental setting, Reilich has reassured residents that Greece has multiple safeguards in place, including sealed bidding processes, structured change orders, and oversight from a qualified Construction Manager.

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To further strengthen accountability and transparency, the Town is implementing the following measures:

1. Requiring all contractors working on significant Town projects to submit sworn compliance affidavits, confirming they have not engaged in any illegal activities, regardless of whether they were granted legal immunity during the investigation.

2. Engaging an independent forensic auditor to review the Center project and other recent construction projects for irregularities, as well as to recommend improvements to procurement policies.

3. Conducting a comprehensive investigation to identify the contractor responsible for the fraudulent billing, ensuring the community is fully informed and protected against future violations.

Supervisor Reilich has emphasized the Town’s commitment to maintaining integrity in its operations and protecting public funds. Moving forward, Greece officials will continue to enforce strict oversight and accountability measures to uphold trust and ensure transparency in all Town projects.