FORMAL INVESTIGATION OF BURNING OF RADIATED WASTE REQUESTED OF INSPECTOR GENERAL

WILLIAM TOWNSEND PERKS
CENTERPORT,  NEW YORK 11721

January 15, 2014

New York State Inspector General
Catherine Leahy Scott
Empire State Plaza
Albany, New York 12223

RE: FORMAL REQUEST FOR FULL INVESTIGATION OF CRIMINAL ACTIONS OF THE TOWN BOARD, TOWN OF  HUNTINGTON AND THE ILLEGAL BURNING OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE IN EAST NORTHPORT

ENCLOSURE: REPORT OF COLLEEN CALLAN,  FREELANCE INVESTIGATIONS

Dear Inspector General Scott,

For the past fifteen years I have been the subject of an ongoing investigation of an alleged assault, made by the Town Board of the Town of Huntington. Enclosed is a copy of the first half of a comprehensive independent investigation of the facts of this case which has caused millions of taxpayer dollars to be squandered by public officials.  The report has uncovered a number of deliberate criminal and ethical actions that require your investigation. There seems to be no end of the financial losses to both the taxpayer and me, as the Town of Huntington continues to file more appeals and hire more law firms adding to the massive costs of litigation.

As a Peace Officer (Harbormaster) of the Town of Huntington (TOH) for over 30 years, I was compelled to become a whistle blower on a number of serious actions, after my employer (TOH) refused to address (including but not limited to) serious health and safety violations, insurance fraud, sewer impropriety and the burning of large quantities of radioactive waste, from 1996 – 2002.

The baseless and fraudulent accusation of assault against me by the Town of Huntington was nothing less than retaliation because of my complaints of their illegal activities. An independent investigative reporter, Colleen Callan, confirmed that the original Town Board Resolution that initiated the accusation of assault against me, which (according to the Town of Huntington) was “based on media reports”, did not exist.  At that time, there were no media reports of an assault. Efforts to file the charge of assault against me by public officials were denied immediately by Suffolk County Police and later by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office for the lack of any evidence. During the next several years, in different court depositions, the TOH public officials all testified to reading those fabricated “media reports” in a number of different newspapers. These public officials of the TOH even hired an “Independent Fact Finder” to investigate the alleged assault based on the fabricated “media reports”.

After the TOH paid the Fact Finder almost $100,000.00, the TOH never concluded the investigation which had no mention of the (fabricated) “media reports” they had cited in the original resolution.
Later these public officials, under oath cited the news papers and even television news of the alleged assault, but they failed to produce any evidence. There were no attachments (media reports) to the Town Board Resolution which they voted for because they didn’t exist.  It was strange that none of the public officials or even the Town Attorney could remember who in the Town Attorney’s office, drafted the alleged assault resolution for their vote. Not until the Town Board passed the resolution citing an alleged assault did the media reports of assault appear. This is referred to the “tail wagging the dog” in Colleen Callan’s Investigation.

With regard to using the Suffolk County District Attorney to further investigate a police report of harassment (not assault), a Town Councilmember testified that it was felt that the “DA was incompetent” and could not provide the “level” of investigation the Town needed to investigate the alleged assault charge that the Town of Huntington voted for. So the Town of Huntington initiated a well directed and costly private investigation (the Independent Fact Finder) that was to be completed in thirty days by Town Board Resolution. It turned out the public officials were getting such great media reports they let the investigation stretch out to ninety days. Finally, the Independent Fact Finder’s Report was released to the public at the same time being distributed to the Town Board. The report concluded that it was to be sent to the Suffolk County District Attorney and the New York State Attorney General’s office for additional criminal investigation (but that has never been confirmed).  No one from the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office or the New York State Attorney General’s Office ever contacted me.

This is fraud at the taxpayers’ expense.  Over five million dollars have been spent on outside attorneys for the Town of Huntington with tens of thousands of dollars finding their way into the re-election campaign coffers.   It has been a total waste of taxpayer dollars, based on lies, designed to unseat the lone Republican Councilwoman on the Democratic Board and retaliate against me, the whistle blower.  There is no end in sight of continued litigation after fifteen years.

I have waited until after our election to file this formal request for you to investigate the illegal, unethical and corrupt actions on the part of these public officials, in order to prevent any question of my intentions.   Now there is finally an independent investigation with newly uncovered facts of this case which proves the original fraud.

It is time for closure, the public needs an accounting of the facts and costs and most important, those people responsible for perpetrating this fraud for so many years need to be brought to justice. The public does not  know about the health risks they have been exposed to but certainly those employees and the “down winders” have “a right to know” about the radiation exposures they received from the burning of garbage in East Northport.  I ask for your full investigation.
I look forward to hearing from you.

Respectfully,

William Townsend Perks, Harbormaster, Hazardous Materials Coordinator (retired)

CC:  Ed Yule, Esq.
        Editor, Newsday
        Editor, New York Times
        Editor, Observer
        Colleen Callan, Reporter Freelance Investigations

The same letter was also sent to Governor Andrew Cuomo, The New York State Attorney General's Office and the New York State Comptroller.