New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli today warned retirees not to be fooled if they received text messages or other communications that purport to come from the state’s retirement fund and the Office of the State Comptroller, asking for a payment to “upgrade” the retirement fund. It’s a scam. Report the message to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov or by calling the Albany FBI Field Office at 518-465-7551 or 1-800-CALLFBI.

The loss of 44,400 construction jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 was the state’s worst annual decline in the industry in more than 25 years, with more than half the losses coming from New York City, according to a report released today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. Construction was the city’s fastest-growing sector from 2011 to 2019, rising by 43.5 percent, until it was brought to a halt by the pandemic.

In April, the Office of the State Comptroller approved 1,072 contracts for state agencies and public authorities valued at $11.9 billion and approved more than 20.1 million payments worth more than $12.6 billion. The Office rejected 109 contracts and related transactions valued at $337 million and more than 33,900 payments valued at nearly $28.6 million, primarily for mistakes, insufficient support for charges, and improper payments. More information on these contracts and payments is available at www.openbooknewyork.com.

Former Town of Potter Clerk Julie Brown was sentenced to six months in Yates County jail today for stealing nearly $27,000 in public funds for her personal use. Her thefts were discovered during a joint investigation by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli’s office, Yates County District Attorney Todd Casella’s office and Yates County Sheriff Ronald Spike’s office.

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli released the following statement today in advance of Amazon’s Annual Meeting on Wednesday, May 26, 2021, at 9:00 a.m., Pacific Time.

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli today announced that the New York State Common Retirement Fund’s (Fund) estimated overall investment return was 33.55 percent for the state fiscal year (SFY) that ended March 31, 2021, reflecting the financial markets’ dramatic rebound from lows reached during the COVID-19 pandemic. The return on investments increased the Fund’s value to an estimated $254.8 billion.

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli and Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick announced today that three employees of the Syracuse City School District’s after-school Twilight Program were arrested for engaging in several schemes to defraud the program following a joint investigation. Jason Cecile, Tina DeCarlo and Nichole Murray were charged with Defrauding the Government (Penal Law §195.20(a)(i)) and Corrupting the Government in the Third Degree (Penal Law §496.03).

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli today announced the following local government audits were issued.

Auditors conducted reviews of 20 adopted budgets of various counties, cities, towns and villages across the state to assess whether local officials adequately considered the impact of the pandemic on their financial operations while developing their 2021 fiscal year budgets. Below are the findings of some of the communities reviewed:

State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced Kristina Hand was sentenced in federal court for stealing $34,000 from the Morris Central School District in Otsego County.

Hand, 47, of Morris, pled guilty last September to two counts of federal program theft, for stealing from a school district that received federal funds. She was sentenced Thursday to two years of probation and ordered to serve 50 hours of community service. Hand was also ordered to pay $34,000 in restitution.

Local government sales tax collections in April grew by 45.7 percent over the same month in 2020, State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced today. Collections totaled $1.5 billion, up $464 million from April of last year.

“The strong collections in April show that the economy is gaining steam, thanks in part to federal aid, more lifts in restrictions and a climb in the vaccination rates,” DiNapoli said. “However, local governments must monitor changing economic conditions and continue to be vigilant when it comes to their finances.”