A national drug and alcohol treatment provider was able to collect $3.9 million in ineligible payments due to the processing of invalid claims and inadequate oversight by the state Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS), according to an audit released today by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

During his inaugural address today, New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli pledged to drive an agenda that helps everyday New Yorkers, holds government and school districts accountable, fights public corruption, protects pensions, and examines big spending areas.

DiNapoli was sworn in by New York State Supreme Court Justice Helen Voutsinas to his third term in office on Sunday afternoon at Hofstra University. He was appointed to the position on Feb. 7, 2007 and has been reelected three times.

In November, the Office of the State Comptroller approved 1,324 contracts for state agencies and public authorities valued at $1.2 billion and approved more than 1.9 million payments worth nearly $8.8 billion. The office rejected 148 contracts and related transactions valued at $650 million and more than 1,400 payments valued at more than $7.6 million. More information on these contracts and payments is available at www.openbooknewyork.com. 

For the second year in a row, property tax levy growth for school districts will be capped at 2 percent, according to data released today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. This 2 percent cap affects the tax cap calculations for 676 school districts as well as 10 cities with fiscal years starting July 1, 2019 including the “Big Four” cities of Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Yonkers.

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced today the following audits and examinations have been issued.

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli today announced that an audit of the New York Youth Jobs Program found that the state agencies overseeing the program, including the Departments of Labor and Tax and Finance, did not ensure that participating businesses hired only people who qualified for the program and that the tax credits they were given were accurate.

Former Savona Mayor Gregge Harrian was arraigned in Steuben County Court today on felony charges of five counts of offering a false instrument for filing and five counts of misdemeanor falsifying business records. As Mayor, Harrian allegedly submitted fraudulent vouchers and falsified records to trick the village into paying his personal expenses.

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli today announced a tentative schedule for the planned bond sales for the state, New York City and their major public authorities during the first quarter of 2019.

The planned sales of $5.52 billion include $4.14 billion of new money and $1.38 billion of refundings as follows:

State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced today that Robert Garcia, the former president and chief of the Briarcliff Manor Fire Department ("BMFD"), was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Cathy Seibel to 12 months in prison for charges arising out of his embezzlement of more than $120,000 from the BMFD, after his prosecution by United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey S. Berman.

Average Wall Street bonuses in 2007 declined 4.7 percent from record levels in the prior year to $180,420 even though the credit crunch and market turmoil battered profits, according to an estimate State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli released today.