New York State Inspector General Letizia Tagliafierro announced Tuesday that “widespread” misconduct” was discovered within the Forest Protection Division of the Department of Environmental Conservation.
The investigation began in July 2019, with alleged misconduct by Charles Richardson, a ranger with the Division of Forest Protection.
The investigation found that Richardson had inappropriate sexual encounters several times while on duty, stole DEC gym equipment for his own commercial gym, disobeyed residency requirements, and failed to follow proper paperwork filing policies.
Richardson failed to submit required biweekly reports for 23 weeks in 2017, according to the Inspector General’s office. He also repeatedly failed to submit his time sheets correctly in 2016 and 2017.
The DEC said it has started taking disciplinary action against Richardson.
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