(HorizonPost.com) – A lawyer in New York Attorney General Letitia James’s office was charged in late March for allegedly vandalizing a neighbor’s vehicle last November, the Times-Union reported.
Assistant Attorney General Stacey Hamilton was charged with third-degree criminal tampering, prompting her attorney to file a complaint against the Albany County District Attorney’s Office alleging unfair treatment, even though the DA’s office had recused itself from the case.
Hamilton’s attorney Kevin Gagan claimed District Attorney David Soares’ office was behind the charges, even though a special prosecutor was appointed to oversee the case.
Both the district attorney’s office and the special prosecutor denied Gagan’s allegation.
The 55-year-old Hamilton is a longtime attorney with New York State, serving in several state agencies including the Labor Department. During Andrew Cuomo’s tenure as New York Attorney General, Hamilton and her attorney Gagan worked in the Sex Offender Management Bureau. They two also worked for the now-defunct JCOPE (Joint Commission on Public Ethics).
According to court documents, Hamilton intentionally vandalized her neighbor’s vehicle on November 16, 2023, by throwing an unknown liquid on it. The neighbor reported the vandalism to police, alleging that the liquid stained the paint on his vehicle.
Hamilton was scheduled to appear in court on March 26 but City Court Judge John Reilly adjourned the case until April 17.
When reached by phone, Hamilton denied that she was charged and accused the Times-Union of peddling false information.
Her attorney told the Times-Union that Hamilton had been assaulted by her neighbor’s girlfriend on the same night as the alleged vandalism and the girlfriend had been charged with misdemeanor assault.
Gagan accused Hamilton’s neighbor of fabricating the allegations against her to “get her arrested” and embarrass her in the papers to get her to drop the case against his girlfriend.
Gagan also said a competent district attorney’s office would have ignored the complaint instead of taking it five months after the alleged incident and giving it to a special prosecutor.
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