Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin arraigned in state probe

TROY — Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin stands accused of misusing campaign funds and falsifying campaign finance filings after a judge on Wednesday unsealed an indictment emerging from a long-running investigation by the state attorney general's office and the FBI.

McLaughlin, a Republican, was indicted on two felony counts, grand larceny and offering a false instrument for filing. The state attorney general's probe began as an investigation of his 2017 campaign for county executive and also examined his financial dealings when he was a member of the state Assembly.

McLaughlin allegedly stole $5,000 in funds from his campaign account on Nov. 21, 2017 — just weeks after winning election to his county post — and then falsely reported the expense in campaign documents filed with the state Board of Elections.

According to the charges, McLaughlin wrote a check from his campaign account to Hudson Valley Strategies, a consulting firm owned and operated by his closest confidant, Richard W. Crist, who is the county's director of operations. Crist allegedly deposited the check in his firm's bank account and then drafted a new check — for $3,500 — that he brought to McLaughlin's former campaign treasurer, Jennifer R. Polaro, who had previously worked as McLaughlin's chief of staff in the state Assembly. .

Read more: https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Rensselaer-County-Executive-Steve-McLaughlin-16665993.php