Current, former Buffalo employees focus of federal probes
Seven current and former employees of the city government in Buffalo have been arrested, indicted or convicted of federal crimes in the last year as five federal investigations continue, The Buffalo News is reporting.
Among the alleged or admitted crimes: stealing federal funds, helping drug dealers and embezzlement. And an FBI probe is looking at how the New York city spends money coming from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and other agencies, the News reports.
“It’s like an onion,” Steven Lanser, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI in Buffalo, told the News. “You peel away a layer, dig a little deeper and you find something new.”
The large number of investigations is raising questions among some officials.
“There’s a pattern that I’m concerned about,” the News quoted city Common Council member David Rivera as saying.
One of those targeted is former Common Council member Brian Davis, accused of embezzling more than $40,000 in federal funds, the News reports. Prosecutors say he steered aid to local community organizations with the understanding that some would be funneled back to him, according to the News. Davis denies the charges.