NY Attorney General Charges Former State Engineer

A former state engineer from Owego is accused of accepting bribes and filing fraudulent expense reports for a contractor during projects in New York. John Hall of Owego was indicted on grand larceny charges, which he has pleaded not guilty to in Seneca County Court. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman says the case comes following a joint investigation that included the state inspector general along with the Office of General Services. According to the indictment, Hall took bribes from 2006 to 2009 from the contractor working on emergency repairs at state facilities. Hall was responsible for reviewing and approving the expense reports for the contractor, and is accused of soliciting construction and home-improvement items for personal use, including a backhoe that retails for over $40,000.