Former Town of Cortlandt Employee Robert Dyckman and Local Landscaper Glenn Griffin Charged With Public Corruption Offenses in Illegal Dumping Scheme; Griffin Also Charged With Separate Bid-Rigging Scheme
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Michael J. Driscoll, the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today the unsealing of a seven-count Indictment in White Plains federal court charging GLENN GRIFFIN, the owner, president, and principal of Griffin’s Landscaping Corporation, in separate bribery and bid rigging schemes, and GRIFFIN and ROBERT DYCKMAN, a former Assistant General Foreman with the Town of Cortlandt, in the bribery scheme in which DYCKMAN allowed GRIFFIN to dump hundreds of truckloads of unauthorized materials at a Cortlandt facility. GRIFFIN and DYCKMAN were arrested this morning and will be presented before United States Magistrate Judge Andrew E. Krause in White Plains federal court later today.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, Robert Dyckman, a former Town of Cortlandt employee, used his position of trust to enrich himself by allowing Glenn Griffin to dump unauthorized materials at the Town’s facility, which will cost the Town as much as $1.5 million to clean up. Griffin is also alleged to have defrauded the village of Croton-on-Hudson and the hamlet of Verplanck in a separate bid rigging scheme. My Office will continue to ensure that corrupt business leaders and public officials will be brought to justice.”
As alleged in the Indictment unsealed today in White Plains federal court[[1]]:
Illegal Dumping Scheme
From 2018 until February 2020, GRIFFIN and DYCKMAN engaged in an unauthorized dumping scheme. DYCKMAN gave GRIFFIN and his employees unauthorized access to Arlo Lane, a Cortlandt facility, to dump hundreds of large truckloads of unauthorized materials such as thick concrete, cement with rebar, large rocks, and soil. Based on estimates provided by third-party vendors, the Town of Cortlandt estimates that it will cost between $600,000 to $1.5 million to remove these materials.
DYCKMAN generally allowed GRIFFIN and his employees access to Arlo Lane on Saturdays or after working hours. To carry out the scheme, DYCKMAN would attempt to clear senior Town of Cortlandt management away Arlo Lane around the time of the unauthorized dumping. When DYCKMAN arranged for a subordinate Town of Cortlandt worker to work overtime when GRIFFIN was dumping unauthorized loads, DYCKMAN would falsely record the worker’s overtime as having occurred during the week in order to conceal the scheme.
In exchange for access to Arlo Lane, GRIFFIN gave DYCKMAN cash bribes, firewood, flowers and gardening materials and made extensive improvements to DYCKMAN’s home at no cost. GRIFFIN also gave DYCKMAN a backdated, false invoice for DYCKMAN to give to his insurance company in support of a false insurance claim.
Bid-Rigging Scheme
Between 2015 and 2018, GRIFFIN also engaged in a bid-rigging scheme. GRIFFIN defrauded the village of Croton-on-Hudson, for work on its schools, and the hamlet of Verplanck, for work at its fire department. He made sham, non-competitive, and inflated bids on behalf of entities that GRIFFIN did not work for or have authorization to submit bids on behalf of, so that GRIFFIN would be the low bidder in a pool of purportedly competitive bids and receive public money for work on the projects. Based on these sham, non-competitive, and inflated bids, GRIFFIN was awarded contracts with a combined value exceeding $133,000.
A chart containing the charges and maximum penalties for GRIFFIN, 53, of Cortlandt Manor, New York and DYCKMAN, 51, of Verplanck, New York, are set forth below. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI and the Westchester County Police Department in this investigation. Mr. Williams also thanked the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office and the New York City Department of Investigation for their assistance in the investigation.
COUNT | DEFENDANT(S) | MAX. TERM OF IMPRISONMENT |
Count One: Conspiracy to Pay and Receive Bribes and Gratuities: Illegal Dumping Scheme (18 U.S.C. § 371) | GLENN GRIFFIN ROBERT DYCKMAN | 5 years in prison
|
Count Two: Payment of Bribes and Gratuities in Illegal Dumping Scheme (18 U.S.C. §§ 666(a)(2) and 2)
| GLENN GRIFFIN | 10 years in prison |
Count Three: Receipt of Bribes and Gratuities in Illegal Dumping Scheme (18 U.S.C. §§ 666(a)(1)(B) and 2)
| ROBERT DYCKMAN | 10 years in prison |
Count Four: Conspiracy to Misapply and Convert Property of Local Government Receiving Federal Funds in Illegal Dumping Scheme (18 U.S.C. § 371)
| GLENN GRIFFIN ROBERT DYCKMAN | 5 years in prison |
Count Five: Wire Fraud Conspiracy: Bid-Rigging Scheme (18 U.S.C. § 1349)
| GLENN GRIFFIN | 20 years in prison |
Count Six: Wire Fraud: Bid-Rigging Scheme (18 U.S.C. §§ 1343 and 2)
| GLENN GRIFFIN | 20 years in prison |
Count Seven: Aggravated Identity Theft: Bid-Rigging Scheme (18 U.S.C. §§ 1028A(a)(1), 1028A(b), and 2)
| GLENN GRIFFIN | Mandatory minimum of two years in prison |
[1] As the introductory phase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment, and the description of the Indictment set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
