Former county employee Robert Morone appeared in US district court this afternoon on federal criminal charges that he defrauded county taxpayers. He was released on his own recognizance.

The charges are the result of an investigation by the FBI and the Major Crimes Unit of the Monroe County sheriff's department. Morone is also facing state criminal charges.

Morone was a supervisor in the county's Department of Environmental Services, and was in charge of the county's building maintenance. As such, he directed a program in which a county-established, private entity, the Robutrad Corporation, provided workers for maintenance and construction projects for the county. The county paid the workers.

Among the accusations listed in a federal criminal complaint: that Morone falsified records and paid workers when they were not working, sometimes when they were on vacation; that he had them do work on non-county projects, including work on Republican politicians' homes; and that he required the workers to campaign for Republican political candidates.

Morone himself was the beneficiary of some of the work, as were some of the workers, according to the complaint. Two workers, according to the complaint, drove Morone's mother on errands and did work on Morone's house; one worker built a new house for himself - using county materials - and others did work on their own houses.

The federal complaint doesn't always specify who received the services. For instance, the complaint says that "Morone had Robutrad workers repair an individual's break wall on Edgemere Drive in Greece," had them paint "an individual's house on Flatt Road in Henrietta," and had them "provide services for homes belonging to Town of Gates' politicians."

But the complaint specifically names one major Republican Party official: Irene Matichyn, who the complaint identifies as the Monroe County Republican Party's finance director and for years an active, effective party fundraiser. Morone "directed Robutrad workers to work on private projects" for Matichyn, the complaint says, on "several occasions."

Republican Party Chair Bill Reilich told City this afternoon that Matichyn does not work for the party. She had a contract with the party, he said, "and we suspended her contract pending further information."

The criminal complaint also charges that "by diverting the Robutrad workers to work on non-County projects while being paid by the County, many County projects were behind schedule and costing much more than initially budgeted."

The complaint charges that Morone was heavily involved in Republican politics.

Morone is also accused of requiring Robutrad workers to make campaign donations and to work on political campaigns - marching in parades, stuffing envelopes, passing out campaign material - in order to keep their lucrative jobs with Robutrad. The workers were reimbursed for their campaign donations with county funds, the complaint charges.

The complaint cites an e-mail that Morone allegedly sent to Robutrad workers thanking them for their participation in political campaigns and adding: "please step up your efforts....Be seen as a solidarity ‘force to be reckoned with.' We are a team... and united we will continue to wield great power."

"Based on conversations with witnesses during the investigations and a review of records," says the complaint, "it is apparent that Morone, by being able to consistently provide numerous ‘volunteers' for Republican Party political events and activities, believed that he was a valuable asset to the Republican Party."

The complaint then cites what it says is a March 31, 2008, letter sent to "Republican Party member Bonnie Stein with copies to Deputy County Executive James Smith, Monroe County employee Mike Garland, Monroe County Republican Party Chairman Stephen Minarik, Monroe County employee Kevin Finnerty, and an individual identified as Mbarry." (Smith has since resigned his position with county government. Garland is currently head of the county's Department of Environmental Services. Finnerty is Assistant County Executive. Mike Barry was former executive director of the Monroe County Republican Party and former clerk for the County Legislature.)

In the alleged letter, Morone apologizes for not doing better in turning out people to participate in a political parade. "I know you wrote me that HQ wanted a large turnout...," reads the alleged letter.

The US attorney handling the case estimates that the loss to county taxpayers totals $116,000 for the period cited in the criminal complaint.