Today is the day: St. Lawrence walks Preet’s plank

Soon after dawn Thursday, April 14 rumors were circulating in Rockland County that Town of Ramapo Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence was about to be hauled in by federal agents for his shady means of financing and forcing through the town’s $60 million baseball stadium in Pomona.

Well folks, it’s happened. Preet and his FBI team have made their move and arrested the most hated man in Rockland.

Feds have released an indictment documenting some of the evidence they say prove St. Lawrence, as well Ramapo Local Development Corporation Executive Director Aaron Troodler, broke federal law during the haphazard funding of the stadium project. The pair have been hit with several felony charges of wire and securities fraud over millions of dollars worth of misrepresented and misallocated funds.

The feds also were critical of St. Lawrence for brazenly lying to the public regarding how the project would be funded and how much it would cost.

You can read St. Lawrence’s complete indictment here:
https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/2802956/Read-the-Christopher-St-Lawrence-Indictment.pdf

Deputy Supervisor Patrick Withers issued a statement in response to the arrests. He said, “This morning’s arrests of officials and others in the Town of Ramapo has cast a dark cloud over our town. While the criminal charges filed against these individuals are not a surprise, coming as they are on the heels of a multi-year federal investigation, the nature and extent of the charges are shocking.

“Every public official has a sacred responsibility to conduct themselves well within the confines of our laws. The charges unveiled today shake the foundation of that principle and the faith of the people of Ramapo. While I believe in the presumption of innocence for all until their guilt is proven, I know that what is right for the Town of Ramapo requires that difficult decisions must be made in the coming days.

“As deputy supervisor for the Town of Ramapo, I will continue to act in the best interests of all our residents, and I am working to ensure that our government remains fully functional. While the individuals involved wind their way through the legal process, it is my responsibility to ensure that the business of government continues.”

The Ramapo GOP’s public statement read, “As were most of you, we were shocked this morning to hear of the arrest of Ramapo Democratic Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence. Corruption in Ramapo Government has long been a rumor. Today, the rumor became reality. We hope that this will serve as a wake-up call to all of the other politicians in Ramapo and remind them that they were elected to serve the public’s best interest instead of their own. Furthermore, we hope that this will bring a new era of honest and efficient government to once again make Ramapo a place that people are proud to call home.”

County Executive Ed Day said, “Elected officials are entrusted with the public’s money. When they squander it or use it inappropriately, trust in government is damaged. If these allegations are true, this is a very sad day in Ramapo and all of Rockland.”