Odell Files Suit Against Putnam Community Foundation
County Executive MaryEllen Odell, on behalf of Putnam County, filed a law suit on Wednesday, May 16 in Putnam County Supreme Court against the Putnam Community Foundation (PCF) seeking recovery for Putnam County taxpayers of the money and property that was a central part of the federal corruption investigation that led to the guilty plea of Senator Vincent L. Leibell III.
The suit is seeking recovery of the entire 43 acres that were sold to the Putnam Community Foundation for $150,000 in reliance upon the false representations made by the Foundation that the property would be used for the construction of senior housing. The property has an estimated fair market value in excess of $5 million
The civil law suit alleges that Senator Leibell knowingly and fraudulently deceived Putnam County concerning the development of the Stoneleigh Avenue parcels by concealing his plan and intention to use the Putnam Community Foundation to skim and divert to himself a substantial portion of the public funding and member item grants obtained by the Putnam Community Foundation.
It is inherently obvious that the PCF never intended to build anything on the property, let alone a tax exempt, senior housing project. It is the position of the Putnam County executive, the legislature, Sheriff Donald B. Smith as well as Carmel Supervisor Ken Schmitt, that this 43 acre parcel should be returned to the people of Putnam County so that it may be marketed for sale to a commercial entity, thereby adding value to local tax rolls and creating jobs.
“This parcel of property also has sewer and water infrastructure that was paid for by the taxpayers, and as a result, is extremely valuable,” Odell said in a released statement.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
