No Evidence to Support American Legion Charges Meant to Counter Money Laundering Claim against Westchester Co. Official, DA Says
Post 8 Accountant: former NYS Assemblyman Ron Tocci laundered money through operating account to fund Armory Lawsuit
Post 8 Commander Pete Poulos, Westchester County Executive George Latimer, Westchester County Veterans Service Agency Director Ronald C. Tocci (l. to r. at a Memorial Day BBQ at American Legion Post 8 New Rochelle in 2021)
NEW ROCHELLE, NY -- The Westchester County District Attorney’s Office has dismissed claims of embezzlement and fraud brought last year in New Rochelle against a former American Legion Post Commander brought by his successor, according to the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office.
“The District Attorney’s Office looked into allegations of criminality and found no evidence to support them,” said Anna Young, spokesperson for District Attorney Mimi Rocah in a statement issued earlier to Talk of the Sound.
As we reported a year ago, the allegations of embezzlement and fraud appeared to have been a transparent attempt to deflect substantive allegations made by Neal Parchen, a Post 8 accountant, that Westchester County Veterans Service Agency Director Ronald C. Tocci laundered money through the Post.
The allegations made against Parchen were first made by Commander Pete Poulos the day after Talk of the Sound made public the accountant’s allegation of money laundering.
Westchester County Veterans Services Agency Director Ronald C. Tocci washed two-thousand dollars through an American Legion operating account to fund a lawsuit he secretly orchestrated, according to the accountant who cut the check.
Neal Parchen, the former 1st Vice Commander of American Legion Post 8 is a former New York Police Department Detective who started a second career as a tax preparer after a 30-year career with NYPD.
The allegations were also, in part, retribution against Thomas O’Keefe for refusing to support a lawsuit orchestrated by Tocci nominally filed by current Post 8 Commander Dennis Starr as an individual against the City of New Rochelle. O’Keefe’s refusal to support the lawsuit ultimately led
Thomas O’Keefe was the Post 8 Commander before Pete Poulos O’Keefe managed the bar at Post 8 for years.
A year ago, there was a lot of tough talk by Tocci-Parente sock-puppet Pete Poulos about legal retribution for the American Legion Post he briefly led before moving to Cleveland, OH. All that talk came to nothing.
Poulos, then Post 8 New Rochelle Commander, hysterically alleged in emails, in social media comments and on barstools that “major crimes” were committed by O’Keefe and Parchan.
Asked the basis for his allegations, Poulos offered to make all the evidence available for inspection to Talk of the Sound. He never did.
Poulus did send two records totaling 4 pages — his best evidence — one pertained to O’Keefe from 2014 and one pertained to Parchen from 2008 to 2012. The Post 8 Commander in 2014 was Ronald C. Tocci.
Poulus claimed the records proved O’Keefe and Parchen stole money from Post 8.
Poulus became angry when this reporter dismissed both records, noting that even if they were proof of anything (they were not), the statute of limitations had long since passed, so they would not be considered by the DA (they were not).
Poulus engaged in an increasingly unhinged email exchange in which he repeatedly offered to produce evidence of his claims then reneged, claimed the National Office of the American Legion directed him not to produce the record when Federal law prohibits the National Office from getting involved with the affairs of local posts, repeatedly invited this reporter to attend a General Meeting of Post 8 to observe a presentation of the “proof” he claimed to have then withdrawn the invitation.
Poulus fabricated serious criminal allegations against two former Post 8 officers in a transparent attempt to deflect attention away from allegations that Tocci washed thousands of dollars through an American Legion operating account to fund a lawsuit over the New Rochelle Armory against the City of New Rochelle secretly orchestrated by Tocci.
There were other exchanges, including through comments on Talk of the Sound, but most took place through email with references to those comments. Those emails follow:
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