Public defender who resigned gets new county job
Attorney Vince Sandonato is no longer working for the Niagara County Public Defender's Office, but he will continue to be employed by the county in a different capacity as long as he complies with stipulations for keeping his new job.
County spokesperson Kevin Schuler confirmed Monday that Sandonato resigned as the county's first deputy public defender by a Feb. 3 deadline imposed by county lawmakers last month.
However, Schuler said Sandonato will remain on the county payroll having successfully applied for an open position as a Medicaid fraud specialist with the social services department. The appointment to the new position is contingent upon Sandonato adhering to 'certain conditions,' according to Schuler. The county did not release those conditions on Monday, saying the human resources department considers such conditions as a 'personnel matter' and, therefore confidential.
'Mr. Sandonato sought to maintain county employment and applied for the open position of Medicaid fraud specialist in the social services department,' Schuler said in a statement issued in response to questions from the newspaper. 'Mr. Sandonato was appointed to that position with certain conditions attached, to which he agreed. Failure to comply with these conditions is grounds for immediate termination.'
County legislators unanimously agreed during a meeting on Jan. 21 to accept the resignation of Sandonato's former boss — the county's ex-chief public defender Nick Robinson — effective Feb 3.
They did so with the expectation that Sandonato would resign from his position as Robinson's first deputy by the same date.
Robinson has been replaced as the office's top administrator by prominent Erie County private defense attorney Herb Greenman.
The management shakeup came weeks after Robinson and Sandonato were placed on paid administrative leave amid what county officials described as an 'independent, third party review' of the public defender's office by the private law firm — Bond, Schoeneck & King in Erie County.
County lawmakers received an update on the law firm's findings in private during an executive session held during the legislature's Jan. 21 meeting. After the meeting, county officials declined to disclose any specifics, saying only that the law firm recommended both Robinson and Sandonato be removed from their leadership roles.
The county has refused to release a copy of the law firm's findings. County attorney Claude Joerg has argued that the contents are considered 'attorney-client privilege' and, therefore, not subject to public disclosure under New York's Freedom of Information Law.
Following the Jan. 21 meeting, Minority Leader Chris Robins, D-Niagara Falls, said the outside law firm determined the public defender's office was not operating as a 'professional workplace.' Robins said none of the findings related to anything criminal in nature while describing it more as a situation involving 'unprofessional conduct.'
Sandonato was appointed to his position as a full-time assistant public defender by the Republican-led legislature in 2020. He previously served as a county lawmaker, a member of the board of trustees at SUNY Niagara and chairman of the Niagara Falls Republican Committee. His wife, Jennifer, serves as the Republican elections commissioner for the Niagara County Board of Elections.
Reached by telephone Monday afternoon, Robins said he was not aware and surprised to learn that Sandonato obtained a different position in the county. He said he intends to ask about the conditions tied to his new job with the social services department.
'One of my major concerns obviously right from the beginning is that they needed to be out of the public defender's office,' Robins said. 'I don't think there was much of a choice. The department couldn't stay as it was.'
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