BOMBSHELL: DA Michael Korchak operating unauthorized 'Traffic Diversion' program. Could cost Broome County millions of dollars

[BCVoice]

BCVoice has obtained an email from the Broome County Legislature to District Attorney Michael Korchak. According to the bombshell email, Korchak is operating an unauthorized traffic diversion program, collecting $200 or $400 (or more) from those who receive traffic tickets in Broome County.  Korchak isn't within the legal authority to do so.  

The Broome County District Attorney's Office ran an authorized and successful traffic diversion program for several years prior to Korchak's election. The program requires reporting of financial documents on a quarterly basis.  Korchak has failed to do so since he took office.  Even worse, the law which authorizes the program expired December 31, 2020, and Korchak never renewed the program, yet he continues to operate the program, and collect money.  This is illegal.

If Korchak has collected money from you, in 2020 (when he failed to submit financial reports to the county) or 2021 (after the program expired), it is advised you contact the Broome County District Attorney's Office and demand your money back. 

District Attorney's Office:  607-778-2423

[D607]

Korchak is either knowingly operating the program illegally, or he is completely and utterly incompetent.  I'm not sure which is worse?  This is beyond the final straw with him.  I first felt he shouldn't run for re-election... prior to seeing this tonight.  Now I feel strongly he needs to resign.  He is either too corrupt or too stupid to finish out his term.

[Isopropyl]

Korchak and his staff are too busy sexually harassing each other and posting death threats on the internet to follow the law.  And now it's going to cost Broome County MILLIONS.  Korchak has to go... immediately.  RESIGN!  Same for his #2 Mark Loughran.. RESIGN!  And whoever is in charge of financial matters in that office, they must be fired immediately. I've never seen something so embarrassing in Broome County government in the last 50 years.

[Ted Williams]

I know the Traffic Program funds many law enforcement expenses like overtime and new vehicles, and it funds drug treatment programs as well. This is a dark day in Broome County.  Whether it was a major oversight or inexcusable carelessness by the DA's office. This is a terrible terrible loss.  

 

[Pio Renteria]

This makes me wonder if they are prosecuting the cases the way they should be doing it. Are cases being dismissed for these types of mistakes? Is evidence being kept properly? What other things have they missed. For Korchak this is year 2 of his admin, after 4 years under Cornwell, and after 12 years under Mollen. Looks like he's following Mollen's way.

Let's see if he issues a statement to clarify the matter. 

[broome county employee]

This is a fatal mistake for Korchak, he can't recover from this politically.  He should resign. 

Korchak's Fiscal Manager is Pamela Memos.  She just got a big $14,000 raise (during Covid).  Apparently she took the money and stopped doing her job.  Doesn't Korchak have weekly meetings with all his staff to see where issues stand?  That is pretty common in government departments. 

Korchak and Memos should never work in county government again.  This does have potential to cost the county millions of dollars.

[Sandra]

Just last week I was on the phone with the DA's office regarding this program.

I got a cell phone ticket, and agreed to do the program.  I filled everything out, paid $400, and completed the driving course.  I did everything I was supposed to do.  Then I get a letter saying my license is about to be suspended.  WHAT!?  I called the DA's office, and they said they have my paperwork, but no record of receiving my $400. Obviously there is FRAUD going on at the DA's office.  Someone is pocketing the money.  And now it makes sense why they didn't submit the required financial reports.  They don't want any financial oversight because there is FRAUD!  I'm calling the DA's office Monday to complain once more, and I'm taking this to the Attorney General.

[UE MOM2]

Can we start a petition to bring back Steve Cornwell? Please!

[PAO]

[Alan Dershowitz]

The TDP also funds many positions in the DA’s office. About 10?

When those employees are laid off, they can go home and tell their families “Mike was too f*cking stupid to follow the law to keep running the program that makes millions of dollars, and funded my salary.”

[Publius]

8 minutes ago, PAO said:

All of the illegally obtained funds must be returned immediately. How can District Attorney Michael Korchak take asset forfeiture money (proceeds from an unlawful act), when he is taking funds from an unlawful act?  This needs to be investigated.

[LOL]

[GOAT]

I’m no legal scholar, and the law looks very easy to read and understand. The expiration date is clearly printed. 

If I were Korchak, and the program brought in big money, I’d have every word memorized.

To find this all I did was google it. But Korchak can’t be bothered to know the law, or when it expires? This is so egregious he should resign. 

[Hank Mitchell]

Wow, I have no words. This is beyond the pale. Korchak is a total fraud and an embarrassment. Whats next, are we going to find out he doesn't even have a law degree???

He has got to GO!

[Jack Reacher]

The level of incompetence in that office is astounding!

And it starts at the TOP!

Really Mike??

Boy, were the people of BC sold a bill of goods with you!

You and your administration are a complete embarrassment and a joke!

I know you need to try and "hang on" to get your years of service in the system (At the highest possible salary level), but enough is enough!

Time to go!!!

Can you spell R-E-S-I-G-N-A-T-I-O-N!!

 

[Evening Sun]

My understanding is 50% of the revenue also goes back to the town where the traffic ticket was written. Without this money, local taxes could go up substantially. If you live in a town off the highway, like Barker, Kirkwood, Windsor, Dickinson, your taxes could skyrocket to make up for this lost revenue.

At this point, Korchak is a bigger embarrassment than the Endicott mayor. Korchak, his chief assistant DA, and his finance manager all need to resign.

[Avalanche]

Korchak is the DA, and he is doing something illegal. It’s time for the attorney general to step in.  This has serious legal and financial implications for Broome County and all the entities that benefited from the revenue from the program.

I agree Steve Cornwell made that job look easy, and he did an awesome job. It’s very obvious Broome County needs him back. 
 

 

[Buzz Richmond]

12 hours ago, broome county employee said:

This is a fatal mistake for Korchak, he can't recover from this politically.  He should resign. 

Korchak's Fiscal Manager is Pamela Memos.  She just got a big $14,000 raise (during Covid).  Apparently she took the money and stopped doing her job.  Doesn't Korchak have weekly meetings with all his staff to see where issues stand?  That is pretty common in government departments. 

Korchak and Memos should never work in county government again.  This does have potential to cost the county millions of dollars.

I have a close friend who worked at the DA's office.  Ms. Memos was more concerned with getting her fired than doing her own job.  Memos was constantly following her, spying on her, and running into the Deputy DA's office to report on her every move.  Maybe if Memos was focused on her own job, this all would have been avoided.  My friend no longer works there.  But it was the best thing that ever happened to her, getting out of that office.

Ultimately this is Mr. Korchak's fault.  He needs to face the consequences.  And I feel the consequences are his resignation. 

[broome county employee]

I believe there are 12 positions in the DA's office funded 100% by the traffic diversion program.  I feel very sorry for those employees and their families.  The other big one is drug treatment programs.  I feel horribly those programs will lose their funding because of what happened with the traffic diversion program. 

[MC Hampster]

What else has Korchak run? A one person law office where he was the only employee. He obviously isn’t up to this job. Enjoy retirement, Michael. This job isn’t for you.

[bballcoach]

I genuinely feel bad for anyone who is negatively impacted by this incompetence. If Korchak is knowingly operating this program after it expired, that is criminal. If he is doing it unknowingly, he is too incompetent to hold office. Whatever the case is, it’s unacceptable.

And I feel bad for Marty and Patty Stantz and Nick Bucci, who went all out for Korchak to win that election. All for this? What a total waste.

[F. Lee Bailey]

From what I know about the DA's Traffic Diversion Program, I estimate they process 100-125 tickets a week.  Multiply that times $200 or $400, and we're talking big money.  It's my professional opinion, as an attorney admitted to practice in NY, all that money must be returned for the year 2021, and the second, third and fourth quarters of 2020.  The program became invalid when Korchak failed to file financial reports for the first quarter of 2020.

Say what you will about Korchak, good, bad or indifferent.  This will be his legacy.  Korchak inherited a Lamborghini Veneno from Steve Cornwell, and he turned it into a Ford Pinto. 

[Binghamton Native]

[Clyde]

I’m at a loss for words. I have to put this up there with Tim Grippen’s 42% tax increase as the biggest failures in the history of Broome County government. 

Unfortunately Mike Korchak, nice guy or not, well intentioned or not, does not have the abilities needed to serve as District Attorney. In the interests of moving the DA’s office forward, and best serving the people of Broome County, Korchak should resign and let someone who can handle the job serve as DA.

[92CorruptCourtStreet]

Sounds like mike wants to pay himself back for his 2 campaign runs. Doesn’t file required documents and continues to take money from a program that ended. It’s all adding up