NEW YORK–A New York State judge has entered a plea of not guilty to charges that involve her role on a credit union board of directors in a case in which prosecutors are also raising questions about her attorney.
New York State Judge Sylvia Ash pleaded not guilty Monday to charges of destroying evidence and obstructing justice as part of an investigation into events at Municipal Credit Union.
As CUToday.info reported here, federal prosecutors have accused Justice Sylvia Ash, who at one point was chairman of Municipal Credit Union, of destroying evidence and misleading investigators who are looking into the alleged multi-million embezzlement at Municipal CU.
Separately, former New York City police officer and MCU Supervisory Committee member Joseph Guagliardo has been charged in a separate scheme for billing the credit union for hundreds of thousands of dollars for work that was never done and other schemes.
On Board for 8 Years
Ash, 62, served on the board of Municipal Credit Union from 2008-2016, with prosecutors saying she received tens of thousands of dollars in travel and other benefits each year as a board member, including some that continued after she resigned.
As CUToday.info also reported here, the credit union’s former CEO, Kam Wong, has already pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $10 million. Wong was sentenced in June to five years in prison. The $3-billion credit union was placed into conservatorship in 2018 and continues to be managed by NCUA.
U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan set a trial date for next May, according to Crain’s New York Business.
Prosecutors Raise Other Questions
“After Ash’s attorney entered her plea of not guilty, federal prosecutors immediately questioned whether the lawyer, Roger Archibald, should continue to work on the case,” Crain’s New York Business reported. “They said he witnessed or participated in criminal acts at MCU, such as signing a document cited in Ash's indictment as false. Prosecutors said Archibald may be so conflicted that he cannot fairly represent Ash, who sat stone-faced at the defendant’s table during the proceeding.
Archibald insisted Ash wants him to remain her lawyer and that she discussed the matter with another attorney. He then asked Kaplan to do away with his client's $500,000 bail bond and to remove the ankle bracelet that tracks her movements.”
Archibald reportedly objected to the suggestion Ash might be a flight risk, but Assistant U.S. Attorney Eli Mark disagreed, noting authorities were unable to arrest Ash when they were ready to last month because she was out of town and Archibald told them she may have been in Africa. Instead, Ash was in Florida and was arrested the next day when getting off a flight at LaGuardia Airport.