NYS PARKS EMPLOYEE PLEADS GUILTY TO OFFICIAL MISCONDUCT

New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang announced the guilty plea of Daniel Blamowski, an engineer employed by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP), who fraudulently collected thousands of dollars in unearned state wages.

Blamowski, 52, of Orchard Park, pleaded guilty yesterday in New York State Supreme Court before the Honorable Debra Givens to one count of Official Misconduct, a class A misdemeanor under the New York State Penal Law. As part of his plea, Blamowski will make full restitution to the State of New York.

Following a referral from OPRHP, the Inspector General's investigation established that Blamowski was engaged in unauthorized employment for a private development firm while on state payroll. The investigation revealed that between December 2020 and July 2021, Blamowski performed at least 92 hours of work for this private firm while on duty for OPRHP and submitted certified timesheets reflecting full days worked for the State. In total, Blamowski submitted sixteen inaccurate timesheets during the course of his unauthorized employment, while continuing to receive unearned wages paid by the State.

"For one hundred years, the public servants who comprise what is now New York State's Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation have led the nation in safeguarding and preserving our state's precious natural assets for all to enjoy," said New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang. "Integrity in the allocation of resources is crucial to maintaining and providing access to the 360,000 acres of our state's parks, trails, beaches, historic sites, and campgrounds. My office and the dedicated staff of OPRHP are committed to these principles and to identifying those who would undermine them."

"Together, we will continue to prosecute any public employee who steals from the taxpayers of New York. In addition to pleading guilty today, this defendant must pay back the wages he was paid by New York State Parks while also working for another employer," said Acting District Attorney Michael J. Keane. "I want to thank the Offices of the New York State Inspector General and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation for their work in this investigation. I encourage anyone with information on suspected time theft or other corruption within our state agencies to contact my office's Public Integrity Unit or the Inspector General's Office."

"OPRHP is committed to the highest standards of ethics and integrity," said Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commissioner Pro Tempore Randy Simons. "I commend staff who brought this to the attention of authorities. We are grateful to the Inspector General's Office and the Erie County District Attorney's Office for their thorough investigation and prosecution of this matter."

Inspector General Lucy Lang thanked the members of her staff responsible for conducting this investigation, including Investigative Counsel Jonathan Schultz, Investigative Auditor Meghan O'Dell, and Chief Investigator Martin Stanford, under the supervision of Deputy Inspector General for the Western Regional Office Jeffrey Hagen.

Inspector General Lang also expressed her gratitude to OPRHP for their prompt referral and partnership on this investigation and to Acting District Attorney Michael J. Keane and his staff for their work in diligently prosecuting this matter.

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