by Bea Peterson
On Monday, November 25, the New York State Police in Brunswick announced the arrest of Keith P. Cipperly of Hoosick Falls, NY, for Official Misconduct and Falsifying Business Records in the second degree. Both charges are misdemeanors. [private]According to the Police Report, “the charges stem from an incident where Cipperly filed papers with a bank, in his capacity as Supervisor of the Town of Hoosick, regarding a real estate transaction. The papers contained false information.”
Cipperly was arrested and processed at the Brunswick Barracks where he was issued an appearance ticket for the Town of Hoosick Court for December 5, 2013. If found guilty of the charges Cipperly faces fines and/or up to one year in jail.
According to Rensselaer County District Attorney Rich McNally, a property in North Hoosick couldn’t pass inspection, and Cipperly took it upon himself to attest to the fact that the well and septic system on the property were not too close to each other. He also provided a draft map of the property. Cipperly stated that the Town of Hoosick Building Inspector, Ed King, had inspected the property confirming the fact. But, according to King, he received an email from Cipperly after the transaction requesting King visit the property and verify that the well and septic system were fine. “I told him [Cipperly] that was not a job for the Building Inspector; that it should be handled by the County Health Department or a surveyor,” said King on Tuesday.
McNally said the mortgage company involved is the Credit Union Center, which brought the matter to the attention of Jim Martinez, President of the Hoosick Federal Credit Union. McNally added, as a banker, Martinez was obligated to report the situation. Martinez declined to comment to the press. In an email Cipperly responded, “Under the advice of my attorney I have no comment at this time.”
Cipperly is employed by the New York State Department of Transportation. He has been Town of Hoosick Supervisor for four years. In November he lost his bid for re-election. His final meeting as Supervisor will be December 9.[/private]