Former county legislator Brian Scavo was arraigned on a sealed indictment Monday, March 2, for felony forgery charges, according to county District Attorney David Soares. The indictment, unsealed in Albany County Supreme Court Monday afternoon, charged Scavo, 61, of Albany, with two counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree and two counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, all felonies. Authorities alleged Scavo on April 10, 2014, possessed two forged checks while at Kinderhook Bank located on Delaware Avenue in the Town of Bethlehem. He allegedly intended to defraud the bank $5,450, according to police reports. Scavo pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released under the supervision of probation. The District Attorney’s Office said there are no future court appearances scheduled as of March 2. In a prepared statement emailed Tuesday, March 3, Scavo claimed he did not commit a crime.
`Never in 30 years of business have I ever done anything fraudulent nor participated in any Illegal activity with either friends, or business partners. I am proud of all that I have contributed to Albany County and to the City of Albany,` Scavo said in his statement. Scavo, a Democrat, lost his re-election bid in 2011 after losing in the Democratic primary and running on the Conservative ballot line.