New City, NY – The Town of Clarkstown says multiple investigations remain underway involving employees and outside vendors connected to the town’s Department of Engineering and Facilities Management, or DEFM, as questions continue to surround the department and its contracting practices. In an August 31 statement, town officials said the matters include an internal investigation, an independent ethics investigation and an external criminal investigation. The town has not announced any final findings from those investigations, and the existence of an investigation does not establish wrongdoing by any employee, vendor or public official.
DEFM oversees a broad range of municipal operations, including engineering and design work, town construction projects, maintenance of town-owned facilities and grounds, sanitary sewer operations, recycling and other services. The town currently lists Deputy Supervisor Al Moroni as the department’s interim administrator.
According to the town, employees placed on administrative leave as part of the ongoing investigations are prohibited from using town resources while the reviews continue. Vendors suspected of misconduct are also being prevented from working on or bidding for additional town projects during the investigations. The town characterized those measures as safeguards intended to protect taxpayers and preserve the integrity of the investigative process. No determination of misconduct is implied solely by an employee being placed on leave or a vendor being temporarily restricted.
The investigations have developed amid a broader dispute involving DEFM, town contracts and the handling of concerns raised by current and former department officials. DEFM Director Michael Gianatasio was previously placed on paid administrative leave. Gianatasio has disputed allegations against him and has maintained that his removal followed concerns he raised about billing connected to the town’s multimillion-dollar energy-performance contract with Siemens. The town has said an ethics investigation involving Gianatasio began before he raised those concerns. No final ethics determination has been announced.
Another DEFM employee, engineer Garabet Karakoulian, was subsequently placed on paid administrative leave. His attorney said they had no comment on the matter. The specific reasons for Karakoulian’s leave have not been publicly detailed by the town.
The controversy has also expanded to include Moroni and Clarkstown Highway Superintendent Robert Milone. The town’s August 31 statement said Moroni helped uncover alleged misconduct involving employees and vendors and described him as an important witness in the continuing investigations. Town officials also criticized public statements and complaints made by Milone, saying the independently elected highway superintendent does not oversee DEFM and that his actions have distracted from the investigations. The town noted that Milone had recommended Gianatasio for the DEFM director position.
Milone, however, has separately raised concerns about the town’s handling of the Siemens contract and previously asked Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Walsh to investigate the matter. According to reporting on the dispute, Milone said investigators subsequently contacted and met with him.
Moroni has also faced separate scrutiny. Clarkstown resident and Democratic supervisor candidate Eugene Bondar recently filed complaints with the Clarkstown Board of Ethics and Rockland County District Attorney’s Office seeking an investigation into allegations involving discounted air-conditioning work performed at Moroni’s home by a contractor who later received town work. The filing represents an allegation and request for investigation, not a finding that Moroni violated ethics rules or committed a crime.
The town has also alleged that some online discussions, social media activity and public statements are intended to influence or interfere with the ongoing investigations. It has not publicly identified evidence establishing a coordinated effort or specified which individuals it believes are responsible.
With several competing allegations now surrounding DEFM and town officials, many of the central questions remain unresolved. The internal, ethics and criminal investigations have not produced publicly announced final conclusions. Clarkstown officials said additional information will be released when legally permissible and when doing so will not interfere with the investigations.