After a nearly year-long investigation conducted by the Orange County White Collar Crime Task Force, Reginald Williams, 28, of Newburgh, was arrested April 19 and charged with second-degree grand larceny and second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument.
According to a press release issued by Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler, the investigation by the task force, revealed that Williams, acting individually and in concert with others, allegedly opened a fake business account in order to deposit a $65,000 check belonging to a local Orange County company, without the company’s permission.
Williams was arraigned in the Town of Warwick Justice Court on April 19 and sent to the Orange County Jail without bail. Hoovler announced his indictment May 3.
The multi-agency task force, which includes investigators from the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and several other local police agencies including the Town of Newburgh Police Department, the Village of Warwick Police Department, and Town of Woodbury Police Department, was created to focus on enhancing the investigation and prosecution of public corruption and financial crimes.
The task force’s mandate includes the investigation of residential contractor fraud; crimes involving public integrity, public corruption, and ethics violations; embezzlement and other complex theft cases, crimes against revenue; wage theft and labor law violations.
“Cases such as these can be and often are complicated and require the time and resources now available with the cooperative efforts of the agencies involved,” Hoovler said. “I hope this arrest, and other prosecutions like it, stands as a warning to those looking to use fraud in order to enrich themselves: law enforcement is watching and we will seek to hold you accountable.”