GOP lawmakers demand NY Gov. Hochul root out Minnesota-style fraud

ALBANY – New York state lawmakers are demanding Gov. Kathy Hochul hire an independent auditor to root out fraud and abuse akin to the COVID-era scheme that cost Minnesota taxpayers over $250 million.

State Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt (R-Niagara) said Hochul should “retain an independent private professional services firm” to make sure New York crooks aren’t misusing taxpayer funds — like the 78 people in Minnesota accused of pocketing federal relief dollars meant for childcare centers.

“If Governor Hochul isn’t alarmed by what’s happening in Minnesota, New Yorkers will lose even more trust in how their hard-earned tax dollars are being spent,” Ortt said in a statement accompanying the letter to Hochul, which was signed by the entire GOP Senate conference.

“The Governor must do her job and guarantee this isn’t happening here,” he said. “If nothing is amiss, there is no excuse for refusing a comprehensive, independent audit. Failing to act would be an extreme disservice to taxpayers.”

The senators noted several examples of recent fraud schemes uncovered by state and federal authorities in New York.

They include a $68 million case involving the state’s CDPAP homecare program uncovered by the DOJ, a state comptroller’s audit that found over $500 million in Medicaid benefits paid to out of state residents and an investigation by the state attorney general’s office that uncovered $13 million in Medicaid fraud.

“New York State taxpayers deserve to know, without a shred of doubt, that taxpayer dollars in this state are being allocated, distributed, and spent in the most responsible, effective, legal, and accountable ways,” said state Sen. Tom O’Mara (R-Chemung), ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee.

Ortt noted that rooting out fraud is especially timely given Hochul and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s mission to pump public funds into a system for universal childcare in New York.

“Moreover, with reports that your administration may advance a proposal for universal pre-kindergarten in the upcoming legislative session, ensuring these programs are efficient, transparent, and free from fraud should be a shared priority for all New Yorkers,” the letter read.

But Hochul spokesperson Kara Cumoletti called the letter a “political stunt” and doubled down on her controversial changes to the CDPAP program, which Ortt has called out.

“This is a rich political stunt coming from the lawmaker who spent months fighting the Governor’s efforts to route out waste, fraud and abuse in the state’s Medicaid program,” Cumoletti said.

“Instead of suggesting we spend taxpayer dollars to do the jobs of the State Comptroller and State Inspector General, the Minority Leader should focus on supporting the many longstanding initiatives that the Governor has advanced to stop fraud and protect taxpayers,” she said.

The letter, which includes signatures of the 21-member GOP conference, appears to have been written using artificial intelligence according to analysis by several online AI detection tools. A spokesperson said the AI tool was only used for grammar purposes.