Nazareth Mayor Carl Strye is an admitted thief. The affidavit of probable cause supporting the felony theft charges against him cites Grand Jury testimony in which he admitted pocketing money and falsifying records. He took money from a worthy nonprofit, making him no better than someone who steals from the collection plate.
In Pennsylvania, borough Mayors have very little power. But they do have authority over the police department. So a fox is in the hen house.
I'm not particularly troubled by the fact that he lied to me. I expect that from politicians. But I am frankly appalled by the comments he made to The Express Times, in which he displays absolutely no remorse for his conduct.
He incredibly claims he can still run the police department with a "left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing" bullshit argument. He also complained that he wanted this kept "in house," out of the public eye. There was no apology for letting the community down. No shame.
I expect that Strye will apply for participation in the ARD program, a special program for first offenders in which charges are dismissed after a successful period of probation. Though it;s a bit unusual in felony cases, it happens.
But after reading his complete unwillingness to accept responsibility, he should be denied participation in this program unless he resigns as Mayor. Allowing a person like that to continue in office will completely erode public confidence in government.
I have a poll for this topic on my left sidebar. Let me know what you think.
40 comments:
It was always my belief that, for many years, the DA in Northampton County would not approve ARD for someone who stole from their employer or similarly exploited a position of trust to steal. Just recently we had the state-licensed health care worker who was given ARD for thefts from a school organization (under the theory her continued employment in the health field would guarantee restitution) and now you report the Mayor is probably eyeing an ARD application.
The Fire Deparment is a non-profit organization. Video poke is illegal gambling. Da Mayor stole money from a non-profit that conducted illegal gambling. He had control over the Police Department. His income as Mayor will never be able to repay the stolen funds. Hang him high to make a point.
5:27, ARD is within the discretion of the DA and approval of the court. Typically, it is for misdemeanor offenses. But it is sometimes offered in a felony, depending on the factual circumstances. Inthis case, I can see the propriety of ARD. But after reading Strye's arrogant remarks, in which he refuses to accept responsibility and actually blames firefigthers for not keeping this "in house," I question whether he shoud be given this opportunity. Also, his resignation should be a condition of ARD. Every second he stays in office destroy public confidence in government.
Using Strye's logic, every case of theft should be kept in-house with no prosecution. Oh, wait... forgot about the bank bailouts when the housing market collapsed. Apparently his defence does have some precedent.
Glad to see you on the case in your hometown. This guy is about 30 years behind the times in wanting it kept in house. That does not happen any more in todays era of instant communication. Traffic violations, domestic abuse, shop lifting and this kind of thing were once taken care of locally and never made it to the police blotter.
Trust you will follow up as this progresses.
Vigilante? I would think it is time to change the name, although he looks like one.
Nazareth is a charming community, but between the stealing Mayor and corrupt police department it has become the laughing stock of the valley.
the crime is disgusting but after watching some people on channel 69 claim that all of the good things he did for the city be considered before passing judgement , makes me sick.So basically an in house theft should no be prosecuted.Really you stinking thief? WTF is going on in this country. Politicians, should fry when they pull this crap.
Another example as to why the People are disgusted and do not trust what is left of their govt. I get it now , when the People proclaim , "we want our country back". This guy is literally in charge of the police dept. I can't believe this. No remorse , no responsibility, and worse, he could care less about the public perception of him , the local govt or the town.
Glad to see the sticker goonies are getting up before noon, the pitchfork isle at Home Depot is empty don't worry Mayor there are quite a few who support you.
I assume the Nazareth Mayor is banking on his accusers' inability to PROVE he did skim funds. I've read elsewhere there was no particular record-keeping for years, the money was kept in an accessible box whose contents were used carelessly and often for small, out-of-pocket expenses. Likely, no receipts for those handouts, either.
Most likely, the fellow DID fool with the funds and misuse the trust placed in him. That's becoming pretty common these days, isn't it?
Prediction . . . "Look fellas, I don't want to pay lawyers to defend myself over the coming year. I admit being careless, will you accept $5000 and my resignation?"
Fred Windish
I am opposed to ARD for elected officials under any circumstances. We need to hold them to a higher standard, it's part of the job.
In this instance I'm even more opposed. If the allegations are true (and it sure looks that way based on his own confession), then he has committed a felony. While it is within the DA's purview to go with ARD for a felony, I disagree and believe he should pay whatever price a judge/jury decides.
The Banker
"Glad to see the sticker goonies are getting up before noon, the pitchfork isle at Home Depot is empty don't worry Mayor there are quite a few who support you."
Then why aren't you signing your name to show your support? But Mayors do have their sycophants.
Okay.....let's get the Mayor because he is dishonest and a thief. The SOB is supposed to be held to a higher standard than others but remember, this incident occured before he was mayor. After he became Mayor he became Saintly. But what happened to the guy (company) who supplied the illegal poker machines or gambling machines? What happened to the dishonest board of directors that allowed the gangster machines to come into their firehouse. What happened to the treasurer who cooked the books and filed false reports to the state and never payed taxes on that income? What about the violations of the small game of ahance license? Will it be pulled? What about the Liquor Control Board Violation of having illegal gambling on the premises? Is Mr. Morganelli turning his Head on these criminal acts? John is a great D.A. and I hope he wins as Attorney General. However, these issues run deep. Organized crime (gambling machines). Using illegal gambling devices to subsidize your business providing you with an unfair advantage in selling alochol and unfair pricing of your beverages against the private hotel and Bar owner. This goes deep. You can't stop at the Mayor.
This case is no different than the Allentown Mayor case except that the Allentown Mayor case is Federal. Eventually they are going to get all those other criminals. Right Bernie. Nazareth and Allentown are both going down and the fire department with them.
I talked with Carl this morning. He will resign if it is part of ARD. He feels terrible for the town, the fire company, his friends and family. It is a shame everyone posting on here dos not know Carl. Dispite what he is getting charged for, he is a good person.
If Strye really had an ounce of remorse or would like to get ARD, he'd resign now. If he really is a good person, he needs to do the right thing and sign off.
Innocent until PROVEN guilty!
He's already admitted he's a thief.
I know why Carl asked why it wasn't handled in house. Years ago a firefighter was stealing from their fund drives an after some time it was caught. He was taken out of fire department,not charged.He was a nice guy also,temptation is hard to resist. I know some of the good old boys remember this,as well as fire chief.I guess its who you piss off at the time. THE firefighter has since passed
Heard Schlossberg is moving to Nazareth....they are in luck!
10:14, First, there is no doubt in my mind that Strye skimmed far more than $8,000. My guess would be $1,000 per week for 20 years, or a little more than half a million dollars. But he DA can prove $8,000, which he admitted.
I can understand giving someone who makes restitution a break, and i'm sure firefighters would have given Srye a break if he was actually willing to return ALL thee money he stole over the years. I am also certain that this other person you mention did not steal a half million dollars. Nor was this other person a Mayor, in charge of a police department.
If I were the DA, I'd subpoena the video of Strye's public remarks after his preliminary arraignment, in which he demonstrates a complete absence of remorse and attempts to minimize clearly criminal behavior. At trial, I'd stick it right up his ass. I's deny ARD. At sentencing, I'd play it for the judge.
His criminal behavior and his cavalier attitude about it does nothing but destroy public confidence in government. The public has the right to expect the highest integrity of their personal representatives. He betrayed the public trust.
Good people don't steal.
Bernie, do you know what the procedure is to have a mayor recalled in a borough form of government?
He doesn't deserve ARD. He knowingly committed a felony if his Grand Jury admission is true, over the course of years. He should resign and go through a trial, and pay the penalty for what he did.
"Good people don't steal."
Amen. Being truly remorseful and asking for forgiveness would have gone a long way. It's time to render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. I wish I'd said that. Oh wait. I did.
Being a good person has nothing to do with the crime he committed.
Why resign?
We got a Valley wide president going.
11:30, no elected official can be constitutionally recalled in Pa.
Fuckin thief and our so called justice system. I bet you he stole in the neighborhood of $250k+ and being the dummy that he is, it's very traceable, even for Barney Fief...
I get the feeling that with some twisted situational ethics, many believe the gambling money was ill-gotten and stealing it is acceptable. That, and the idea that most politicians are inherently dishonest.
It makes me sick to think that the hypocrites out there believe that Mayor Strye did nothing wrong. His face book page has become a testament to all he has done for Nazareth and the people who still support him are the same people that enabled him to become this so called great guy who did so much for the town. CUT ME A BREAK. Since the Vig has been on to him, he made new friends at Holy Family Club. He walks in that club and the free drinks start lining up. It makes me wonder if they were payoffs for something crooked he did for the guy. When you look at the clubs and know that most of the bartenders either work for the borough or neighboring township in some capacity, makes me wonder what underhanded plots were discussed over those free beers. Could it have been this mayor did the same as Larry Stoudt and gave the information to out the PLCB agent at Holy Family Club. He is friends with them all. Could he have possibly gone to the Nazareth Police Department and asked for a check on a drivers license in the same way that Larry Stoudt did and was charged with obstructing justice? There are some things that really and truly make me sick and stealing from the people that support the town, the hard working people that can only afford a night out once a month and to take from them is the worst type of crime. Did he steal this money just once? Shame on him, or did he steal the money every chance he got? That is where the crime becomes immoral. Why isn't his conscience bothering him? Every time he posts on face book what a good time he is having when he is out drinking it up, all of those hypocrites on his face book page should ask themselves at who's expense is he enjoying himself? This guy is always a party waiting to happen all of the time and the people who put him where he is need to do the right thing and call for his resignation. Bernie, if I could write my name, I would, but for now I need to be a coward.
When your an admitted thief in front of a grand jury there is no innocent until proven guilty- you testified your a THIEF. Now scumbag resign
Nazareth needs to clean house- and it starts at the top! An arrogant, piece of crap, with an IQ of a moron- he has to go!
Pennsylvania is one big pile of corruption.
Carl will bounce back stronger than ever because he has a strong support network and lots of involvement in the community, O'Hare's reign of terror as an esquire make Strye's transgressions seem minor in comparison. Moral turpitude is no small matter, the Mayor took a little gambling money which is really a victimless crime when you look at the bigger picture of how much those machines were taking in.
Name signed
Look, why can't we stop talking about this and let this be handled by the courts? A blog is not a court and all of this talk will bias the damn jury pool. I just think it's wrong when a blog or a newspaper hounds a politician to death and doesn't let the legal process take its course. Who knows what circumstances forced him to plead guilty. Doesn't an non profit executive director normally get some sort of salary? How do you know this wasn't compensation? Granted, most people get paid by check, but cash is still legal tender isn't it? Please, let's try piping down about this and let the courts handle.
When I was a Public Defender in Lehigh County, public officials charged with theft were never offered ARD, as a defense attorney, I used to rail against this, it's our job, but the policy does make sense. Should public officials be held to a higher standard or are they just a reflection of every one else. Therein lies the rub!
If his theft can be argued as compensation then he has to have claimed this for tax purposes. But this wasn't salary, it was theft. These illegal acts are fair game for publishing. That's a part of the mechanism to help prevent people from committing criminal acts. But the arrogant miss this as they believe they will never get caught.
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