DA Spota: No Secret Deal for Steve Levy!

Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas J. Spota:

We are writing to express our serious concerns regarding the deal which was reached between your office and Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy last week and to ask that you continue to pursue the Levy investigation through an indictment and trial.

As you explained in your statement last week, the DA's Government Corruption Bureau has been conducting a sixteen month investigation into corruption which revealed "serious issues" including "the use of public resources." However, your office has not described what these serious issues were, how much money was misused, or for what purposes.

Government corruption must be exposed, not pushed under the rug. By helping Mr. Levy cover up his corruption, you are eroding the confidence of the public in Suffolk County government as a whole. From the public's perspective, by allowing him to finish his term without investigation, you are providing him with more time to continue to abuse his power, hide the evidence and save his career.

The decision of the District Attorney to prosecute any case should be based on the available evidence and the results of its investigation. It is extremely inappropriate for your office to have taken the liberty of making a political calculation of whether it is preferable to have Mr. Levy in office or not during this time. That decision should only be made by Suffolk County residents themselves.

Continue the Levy investigation, and bring all the information into the public eye. While no one outside your office can know what the result of your investigation would be, we do know that the only way to get rid of the stench of corruption and abuse of power is by letting in some sunlight and fresh air. Suffolk County deserves better than more secret deals.