[4] [5] She has one sister, artist Grace, [6] and two brothers, Daniel and Noah, both filmmakers. Such conduct will not be tolerated, and the Offices of the Inspector General will continue to ensure that those who engage is such conduct are held accountable. Executive Director Tagliafierros appointment Her resignation was effective Friday, according to spokesman Lee Park. We have no further comment, department spokesman Lee Park told The Post, adding that Executive Deputy Inspector General Robyn Adair will be elevated to serve in an acting capacity until Gov. According to City and State New York, her departure comes two weeks after most of the State Joint . The New York State Capitol Building in Albany. An investigation by Offices of the Inspector General found that on two separate occasions, Cataldi, who was employed as a Supervising Motor Vehicle Representative 1 at the Richmond County DMV office, wrongfully and knowingly accessed the personal records of a woman and relayed that information to that womans estranged spouse against whom a court issued order of protection had been filed, and to whom Cataldi was acquainted. Straface also disclosed that former Secretary to the Governor Melissa DeRosa had instructed troopers on the protective detail to stop sending "PIN" messages akin to text messages on their Blackberry mobile phones detailing when she and other top members of the administration were arriving at or leaving the governor's mansion. Prosecutors said she also misrepresented her residence to obtain New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) rental benefits in excess of $50,000. ALBANY Letizia Tagliafierro, a former top aide to then-Gov. Cuomo earlier this week dined with the executive director of the state ethics commission that oversees his administration at a restaurant in upstate Saugerties owned by her extended family. But when the matter landed in her lap in 2019, Ms. Tagliafierro said that she could not oversee it because of her history with the commission. In that role since mid-2012, Ms. Tagliafierro oversaw all investigative and enforcement matters, including the first ever independent ethics investigation of a sitting legislator for violating the States Public Officers Law. Michael Kopy, a former trooper commander with the State Police, has been appointed Cuomo's director of emergency management. Leave a sympathy message to the family on the memorial page of Anna Dipaola Tagliafierro to pay them a last tribute. Executive Director Tagliafierros appointment follows a nationwide recruitment effort that entailed advertisements in top legal publications and newspapers, leading to more than 70 resumes received and reviewed. reviewed. Tagliafierro as the agencys new executive director. Former JCOPE Commissioner Julie Garcia, who first reported the leak, told a state Senate panel earlier this month that the inspector general's office was either "incompetent or corrupt" in its 2019 investigation of the apparent disclosure. That included a nearly four-year stint as Cuomo's "special counsel for ethics, risk and compliance," helping run a program founded in 2015 by longtime Cuomo aide Linda Lacewell that served to suppress negative information about the governor. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. My office will not tolerate such egregious violations of an individuals privacy and safety, and we will continue to work together with the New York State Inspector Generals office to hold bad actors accountable at every turn.. NEW YORK, New York (WBRC) - A Calera woman was arrested and charged with several counts after prosecutors said she committed welfare fraud and stole more than $120,000 in welfare and housing benefits in New York. As inspector general, Ms. Tagliafierro drew criticism over her involvement in one case: JCOPE had been investigating an issue that involved Joseph Percoco, another longtime governors aide, when it emerged that the commissions private deliberations had leaked to Mr. Cuomo. Andrew Cuomo, stepped down Wednesday and is slated to be replaced by another former staffer to the governor, officials told The Post. Tagliafierro's role in the matter was revealed Thursday when state Attorney General Letitia James' office released another tranche of transcripts from an investigation into allegations that Cuomo had sexually harassed or acted inappropriately with multiple women, including the trooper who went on to become one of his drivers. Yet the investigation did not include interviews with key individuals embroiled in the allegations, including Cuomo and Heastie. He is still listed on the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, however. In that role since mid-2012, Ms. Tagliafierro oversaw all Cuomo recently dined with a former aide that is now the executive directly of an ethics commission that could oversee his administration. legal publications and newspapers, leading to more than 70 resumes received and Queen Letizia got her nails done. The investigation also found that Serling used two different Social Security numbers and she misrepresented her residence to obtain $52,646 in rental benefits through a NYCHA program. regulatory authority and oversight than prior ethics and lobbying TAGLIAFIERRO AS THE NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, International Graduate Residential Programs, Domenick L. Gabrielli National Family Law Moot Court Competition, Business, Tax, and Financial Market Regulation, Government, Policy, and Public Service, Albany Law Journal of Science and Technology. Investigators also determined that Serling failed to report her employment income, her marriage, and the income of her spouse all of which she was required to report to HRA. All rights reserved. The 80s revival continues and Letizia looks absolutely gorgeous. The fact she and her old boss had dinner about 45 minutes south of the Capitol raised eyebrows. Cuomo recently dined with a former aide that is now the executive directly of an ethics commission that could oversee his administration. New York State Inspector General Letizia Tagliafierro announced the arrest of Reiman, 51, who had been the director of facilities at Empire State since 2010. Brendan J. Lyons is a managing editor for the Times Union overseeing the Capitol Bureau and investigations. Letizia Tagliafierro (left) worked for Cuomo in both the Attorney General's office and the governor's office. New York State Inspector General Letizia Tagliafierro -- a former aide to disgraced ex-Gov. We tallied the votes from this years Best of the Capital Region contest in 100 categories. It requires unique log-ins that are provided to DMV employees only and is not meant to be used for anything but official DMV business. This is a carousel. Legislative Assistant to former State Senator Serphin Maltese. We tallied the votes from this years Best of the Capital Region contest in 100 categories. Tagliafierro worked for Cuomo in both the Attorney General's office and the governor's office. So too do Robert Mujica, who served as Mr. Cuomos budget director, and Janet DiFiore, another JCOPE alumna, now serving as the states top judge. The now-former governor has been accused of sexually harassing a trooper after he directed members of his Protective Services Detail to offer her a job on the unit in 2017. Rozen had served on the panel since 2015, and is president & CEO of TRGP Capital Management, LLC, a private equity firm. The Times Union previously reported that Percoco set the tone for Cuomo's control of the detail early in the governor's first term, when he ordered an end to the practice of keeping a trooper posted at the bottom of the stairs leading to the second floor of the mansion; after that, members of the unit were exclusively stationed outside the residence. career spanned a variety of roles in public service, including eight Letizia Tagliafierro's Phone Number and Email Last Update. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Pariah pol Jeff Klein loses bid to end NY sex harass probe that he asked for, New ethics panel eyes Cuomo rules to prevent another book scandal, Lets do it again: New push for probe of Cuomos $5M COVID-19 book deal, Law school deans reject AG Letitia James pick for ethics watchdog agency. The attorney generals office, however, declined to investigate the matter, saying that under the rules, two appointees of the governor had to refer the matter to Ms. Jamess office. Tagliafierro's departure comes less than a month after Cuomo's resignation and two weeks after a majority of the state Joint Commission on Public Ethics voted to ask state Attorney General Letitia James to investigate the conduct of the inspector general's office in its probe of an illegal leak of confidential information from JCOPE to Cuomo in January 2019. Its jurisdiction includes state legislators, candidates for the Legislature, and legislative employees, as well as the four statewide elected officials, candidates for those offices, executive branch employees, certain political party chairs, and lobbyists and their clients. follows a nationwide recruitment effort that entailed advertisements in top John Kaehny, a good-government advocate, said Ms. Tagliafierros appointment was part of a broad pattern within the Cuomo administration of defanging watchdogs. We thank Mr. Rozen for his service and, as of this afternoon, we have appointed Camille Joseph Varlack, a former assistant district attorney and a lawyer with a long record of public service to take his place as chair, said senior advisor to the governor, Rich Azzopardi, in a statement. As a key state watchdog, she was charged with ferreting out fraud, corruption and abuse across state government. Please subscribe to keep reading. John Zhuo on two counts of Grand Larceny in the 2nd Degree, one count of Welfare Fraud in the 2nd Degree (C Felonies), and two counts of Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the 1st Degree. Letizia Tagliafierro, left, and Gov. At that time, she took a position as Special Counsel/Public Advocacy Letizia Tagliafierro (left) worked for Cuomo in both the Attorney General's office and the governor's office. ALBANY Gov. Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government, This page is available in other languages, Joint Commission on Public Ethics Names Letizia Tagliafierro As the New Executive, Communications and Public Information Office, Ethics Training for Lobbyists and Clients, Registration and Reportable Business Relationship ('RBR') Information, Lobbyist Bi-Monthly and Disbursement of Public Monies Information, Client Semi-Annual Report and Source of Funding Information, Application for Waiver of Late Filing Fee. That position must be voted on by the state Senate. Garcia, outraged by the lackluster investigation, resigned from JCOPE. OWIG has been working on the matter with the New York City Department of Investigations Inspector General for NYCHA. A prosecutor by training, Ms. Tagliafierro was appointed inspector general by Mr. Cuomo in 2019. Standing at just 5'3, she was towered over by many other Royals, including her grandsons . What happened to the Taste NY bathrooms on the Taconic? Last week, after Gov. A source said Cuomo and his aides arrived separately from Tagliafierro, who joined the group later for a dinner that ended at midnight. Appointees are made by the governor as well as the Democratic and Republican legislative leaders, but committee discussions are bound by state ethics law to remain private. Under Ms. Tagliafierros leadership, the inspector generals office investigated a facilities director at SUNY Empire State who had used $31,000 in taxpayer funds to buy a snowblower and kitchen appliances, as well as a nationally known transparency advocate who sexually harassed a reporter. "They did not talk about current events. The fact she and her old boss had dinner about 45 minutes south of the Capitol raised . Commission provides information, education, and advice regarding current ethics The ceremony is always held on or around 22 April, which is the date Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quijote de . years as an Assistant District Attorney in Erie County after four years as a Not only did this defendant use his position at the DMV to illegally access a womans personal records, he then disclosed that information to the victims estranged spouse against whom a court order of protection had been filed, said District Attorney McMahon. ", "The campaign is a nightmare for us to deal with because they don't communicate with us; we get the information the last minute and then we have to jump through hoops to try to figure out who from the campaign is the lead," Straface continued. The colour, and style are so beautiful. ", But Blair Horner, of the New York Public Interest Research Group, said: "It would have been far better for the state's ethics watchdog to wave and move on. Andrew Cuomo. Tagliafierro took over as inspector general the same month the leak occurred, replacing Catherine Leahy Scott, who had served in the post for almost seven years. The Commission also promotes government transparency through the administration of publicly available disclosure filings of lobbyists and their clients as well as all Financial Disclosure Statements filed by State officials. Andrew Cuomo whose . In Tagliafierro was appointed to the post by Cuomo in 2019 and before that served in multiple roles in the executive chamber including deputy secretary for intergovernmental affairs, special counsel to the governor and special counsel for public safety. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union) He is a longtime contributor to WMHT's weekly political roundup "New York Now.". Tagliafierro, who worked for Cuomo when he was state attorney general, had previously served inanother key watchdog role: executive director of the state's Joint Commission on Public Ethics. The fact she and her old boss had dinner about 45 minutes south of the Capitol raised eyebrows. Currently, Letizia Tagliafierro works as a Director of Investigations& Enforcement at New York State. This story has been shared 630,506 times. enforcement, our public officials and those hoping to influence government The Commissions The woman knew that her estranged husband was acquainted with Cataldi, and she knew that Cataldi worked for the DMV. Varlacks appointment takes effect immediately. Heastie has acknowledged receiving a berating call from Cuomo shortly after a JCOPE meeting on Jan. 29, 2019. Adam Zurofsky is the new director of state policy and agency management. The Joint Commissions executive director reports to the 14 appointed commissioners, six of whom are appointed by the Governor and eight by the leaders of the Legislature. State Inspector General Letizia Tagliafierro, a former Cuomo aide, was appointed to the position by Cuomo in 2019. background in government made her a terrific choice for Executive Director, and lobbying laws, and promotes compliance with these laws through audits, other elected officials. The inspector general's office handles investigations of potential wrongdoing by a large swath of public employees as well as private entities doing business with the state. the administration of publicly available disclosure filings of lobbyists and New York State Inspector General Letizia Tagliafierro and Staten Island District Attorney Michael E. McMahon today announced the felony guilty plea and resignation of a New York State Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) supervisor who improperly accessed a woman's personal DMV records and provided them to the woman's estranged spouse against whom a restraining order had been filed. A State Police spokesman later confirmed that Superintendent Kevin P.Bruen had directed that a high-ranking commissioned officer, Staff Inspector Jennifer H.Gottstine, oversee structural changes to the unit and that permanent-rank commissioned officers would take over the command staff. After the Times Union reported in March 2018 about the matter, the agency fired Gestring for an unrelated offense. the State Division of Criminal Justice Services, where she served through April This story has been shared 630,506 times. Law School of Union University. Officers Law. This is a carousel. Queen Elizabeth (5'4) Although the head of the family, the late Queen Elizabeth was not the tallest. During that same period, the administration also had instructed troopers guarding the mansion not to retain those visitors' records for more than 30 days. Tagliafierro served as the Joint Commissions Director of Investigations and In July, the Times Union disclosed new details about Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie's interactions with Cuomo following the alleged leak. The leak was then investigated by the office of Inspector General Letizia Tagliafierro a Cuomo appointee who recused herself from the probe but was unable to be substantiated. Tagliafierro recused herself from the investigation citing her prior role and allowed her ex-deputy director Spencer Freedman who recently landed a job at SUNY to lead the probe. She also allegedly took $52,646 in NYCHA rental assistance. 4/22/2023 4:17 AM. Andrew M. Cuomo, has resigned from her post as the executive branch's top internal-affairs watchdog, according to her office. Lifesaving: Family flees Texas to transgender 'refuge' Minnesota, Bipartisan Senate bill aims to keep kids under 13 off social media. investigative and enforcement matters, including the first ever independent Several allies of Mr. Cuomo have stepped down in recent weeks, after he resigned following a state attorney general report that found he sexually harassed 11 women. Letizia Tagliafierro has been appointed Deputy Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs and Special Counsel to the Governor. Sometimes Letizia goes by various nicknames including Tagliafierro Letizia, Letizia Pia Tagliafierro, Letezia P Tagliafierro and Letizia P Tagliafierro. Student Experience & Support - Column One, Student Experience & Support - Column Two, Student Experience & Support - Column Three, JOINT COMMISSION ON PUBLIC ETHICS NAMES LETIZIA You can reach him at blyons@timesunion.com or 518-454-5547. It's better to steer clear of Albany's elite given the ethical cauldron that currently exists.". "And then she said she would discuss that with the (State Police) superintendent, and that's where we left that," Straface testified. their clients as well as all Financial Disclosure Statements filed by State Her spokesman declined to say where her career was headed. He previously served as managing editor, Capitol Bureau chief and entertainment editor. But JCOPE voted earlier this week to make a referral to state Attorney General Letitia James to launch a criminal investigation into the leak. Andrew Cuomo whose previous posts include the top staff job at the Joint Commission on Public Ethics. decisions will be held accountable.. Nine months after the apparent leak, the inspector general's office issued a report to JCOPE that contended it could not confirm an illegal leak had occurred, in part because the allegations were based on hearsay. He told the attorney general's investigators last year that Cuomo's campaign office, which is separate from the government office, had insisted he use his personal email account to receive details about the former governor's political events and fundraisers. Tagliafierro, a state University at Albany and Albany Law School graduate, served as executive director of JCOPE from 2013 to 2015. Most often though, cases concerned wrongdoing on a smaller scale: a state worker who sold scrap metal out of his car during work hours, or a roofer who failed to provide workers compensation insurance to his employees. On May 29 and June 15, 2018, Cataldi utilized the DMVs proprietary COMPASS system to access an individuals vehicle records, including the addresses associated with her vehicles, at the request of that individuals estranged spouse. He said the campaign officials were "difficult" to deal with, but that his job was to make sure the governor had protection wherever he went. Andrew M. Cuomo via Rita Glavin, Cuomo's attorney). private deliberations had leaked to Mr. Cuomo, found themselves the subject of speculation. She was predeceased by : her parents, Domenico DiPaola and Letizia Cermola; her husband Michele "Mike" Tagliafierro; her sister Maria Pia Saracco; and her brothers-in-law, Alberico Nardone and Fernando Saracco. The office concluded they could not substantiate the complaint. Attorney at the Office of the New York State Attorney General in Buffalo. When she saw the governor, she joined him for dinner. Kathy Hochul appointed two commissioners to JCOPE, it voted 11 to 1 to again refer the leak to the attorney generals office. He later worked on the detail for governors Eliot Spitzer and David Paterson, and continued that work under Cuomo. RANDOLPH New York State Inspector General Letizia Tagliafierro on Monday announced the sentencing of a Randolph woman who stole Workers' Compensation benefits by forging her late father's . Tagliafierro recused herself from the leak investigation, she said, because she had previously worked as a top staffer at JCOPE. The She first began working for Cuomo during his tenure as state attorney general. ALBANY State Inspector General Catherine Leahy Scott has been replaced by Letizia Tagliafierro, a longtime aide to Gov. officials. Andrew M. Cuomo for the privilege," Leahy Scott said in a statement. REPORT MISCONDUCT- TIPS LINE 1-800-87-ETHICS. ALBANY - Gov. Through increased transparency, compliance training and Inspector General Tagliafierro thanked the Manhattan District Attorneys Office for prosecuting the case and the Social Security Administration, the NYC Department of Investigation, NYCHA and HRA for assisting in the investigation.