Ramapo town supervisor back at work following arrest

Ramapo Town Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence returned to work Friday following his arrest on federal fraud and conspiracy charges. Christopher St. Lawrence told News 12 that he was going into work

News 12 Staff

Apr 16, 2016, 2:29 AM

Updated 3,297 days ago

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Ramapo Town Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence returned to work Friday following his arrest on federal fraud and conspiracy charges.
Christopher St. Lawrence told News 12 that he was going into work "to handle the business of the Town of Ramapo," something he said he has been doing for the past 16 years.
St. Lawrence was hit with a 22-count indictment accusing him of cheating Ramapo residents out of millions of dollars when he allegedly lied about the financing for Provident Bank Park in Pomona. The FBI says St. Lawrence did not use private funds as he had promised and misled both investors and taxpayers. Officials say the public ended up paying for half of the $58 million project.
The funding for the minor league stadium has been under suspicion ever since FBI agents raided town hall three years ago. On Thursday, agents arrested the town supervisor at his Rockland home.
St. Lawrence maintains his innocence and says he is looking forward to his day in court.
Agents also arrested Aaron Troodler, the former executive director of the Ramapo Local Development Corporation, and town attorney Michael Klein was also hit with charges. Authorities say Klein and Deputy Finance Director Nathan Oberman are accused of covering up debt and illegally transferring money for the ballpark.
The U.S. Attorney's Office says the men inflated town assets to obtain $25 million in municipal bonds used to build Provident Bank Park in 2012.
St. Lawrence gave his regularly scheduled radio interview Friday from his office, instead of from the baseball stadium. He spoke about upcoming games that will be held at Provident Bank Park, but did not comment on any other issues regarding the stadium.
Several Hudson Valley lawmakers are speaking out in the wake of the charges. State Sen. David Carlucci called the charges "disturbing" and said the scandal is a "black eye" on the community.
Rockland County Executive Ed Day is now calling for St. Lawrence to step down from two county positions. St. Lawrence serves as the chairman of the Rockland County Sewer District and the Solid Waste Authority.
The chair of Rockland County's Democratic Party is also calling for St. Lawrence to step down. "I would hope he would look within and do the right thing for the Town of Ramapo and the people of Rockland, and I think maybe at this point it is to step aside," said Kristen Zebrowski Stavisky.
News 12 contacted the town and was told there are no plans for any special board meetings or disciplinary action in the wake of the federal charges.