Politics on the Hudson

A law firm that has done business with the Mount Vernon School District is one of the latest to get caught up in Attorney General Andrew Cuomo’s school district pension probe.

Cuomo announced today that since 1997, lawyers Devereaux Cannick and Jennifer Fremgen of the firm Aiello & Cannick have been improperly listed as “employees” of the Mount Vernon City School District.

“At all times, however, Cannick and Fremgen were providing services as outside retained counsel. Under their agreement with the district, these lawyers received health benefits and state pension credits despite the fact that health insurance is normally reserved for employees as opposed to independent contractors,” Cuomo said in a press release.

“Under the settlement agreement, Cannick and Fremgen have agreed to take all steps necessary to rescind all pension credits they received in connection with their work for Mount Vernon, to forfeit any claim they may have had to recoup employee contributions made to the pension system, to terminate the “employer/employee” agreement, and to work as independent contractors going forward. The firm has not collected any pension funds from (the state). The firm and the two lawyers will collectively pay $75,000 to the state under the settlement,” Cuomo added.

Others settling with the attorney general were the central New York firm of Ferrara, Fiorenza, Larrison, Barrett and Reitz P.C. for work done with the Madison Oneida BOCES, and Long Island attorney Gilbert Henoch, who worked for the districts in Hempstead and East Meadow.

Joseph Spector, who is reporting this story from our Albany bureau, says representatives of  Aiello & Cannick did not immediately return calls seeking comment.