Michelle Marini, the former deputy town supervisor of Greece, pleaded guilty before Judge Arthur Williams on Thursday to a pair of felonies: fourth-degree grand larceny and offering a false instrument for filing.
Marini will not face jail time on either charge. She was ordered to pay restitution of $4,648.14, a fine of $2,500, and perform 40 hours of community service. She was also given one year of conditional release on both charges.
Marini served as Town Supervisor William Reilich's deputy beginning in 2014. She retired on June 24, 2024, a day before she was indicted. A spokesperson for the New York State Comptroller's Office confirmed Marini is receiving $5,069.91 per month in pension payments.
Marini faced charges related to two specific incidents in the summer of 2022. For the grand larceny charge, Marini acknowledged using contractors that were working on a community center project to replace a hot water tank at her house.
The other charge is related to her former role as treasurer of the Friends of the Greece Republican Committee. She acknowledged writing herself a check for $654.76 and failing to report it to the Board of Elections.
“Ms. Marini was in a position where she was entrusted to do the right thing, and she didn’t do that,” said prosecutor Greg Clark. “I understand there are a lot of people that won’t be happy with today’s outcome, but I think this did serve the interest of justice.”
A grand jury indicted Marini on five counts in June, including grand larceny based on accusations that she used town resources to perform renovations on her and her children’s homes, and a misdemeanor charge of official misconduct for allegedly placing a tracking device on a private citizen’s vehicle.
Her guilty pleas to the two felony counts also resolved the official misconduct charge and two remaining larceny charges.
Ryan Murphy is one of two Greece residents who have filed federal lawsuits against the town of Greece alleging that they were placed under unlawful surveillance, including having GPS devices placed on their vehicles. Murphy runs a Facebook page, Town of Greece Uncovered, in which residents complain of alleged improprieties in town government.
He said he was disappointed but not surprised by Marini’s pleas.
“I’m not surprised,” Murphy said. “...This town has a long history, whether it’s the Police Department, whether it’s the supervisor, whether it’s the assessor, you pick a department, you pick a name.”
The second federal lawsuit was filed earlier this month by a part-time housekeeper who formerly worked at one of Marini’s children’s homes.
Marini declined to comment on the allegations related to the tracking device. Her attorney, Joe Damelio, said Marini was falsely accused.
“She had nothing to do with the tracker,” Damelio said. “I know that because I’ve read the grand jury minutes, because we’ve investigated this.”
Damelio said he believes he knows who was responsible for the tracker but declined to comment on specifics.
He also said residents of the town of Greece should feel justice has been served.
“They should be satisfied, because they’re not out any money, restitution’s been paid,” he said. “They should be fine.”
