The Orange County District Attorney’s Office confirmed to News 12 that it is conducting a public corruption investigation involving the Town of New Windsor’s Information Technology Department and former Police Chief Robert Doss.
An official source familiar with the investigation said search warrants were executed early Wednesday morning at New Windsor Town Hall and a second location. The source said investigators are examining allegations of bid rigging, official misconduct, falsifying documents and ethics violations tied to government contracting.
According to the source, investigators are looking into allegations that police technology services were promoted as being provided through the Town of New Windsor when they allegedly came through the IT director’s private business. The source said the investigation involves about a dozen Orange County police departments, hundreds of thousands of dollars in contracts and roughly five years of records.
While authorities have not identified the private business referenced in the investigation, publicly available online business records list Deputy Chief Information Technology Officer Patrick Mangan as the primary contact for a New Windsor-based company called Hudson Valley Computer Guys. News 12 has reached out to Mangan for comment.
Former Police Chief Robert Doss told News 12 by phone that he has been in contact with investigators and was told he is not a suspect in the investigation, but could instead be a witness. He declined further comment.
Among the agencies contacted by News 12, Warwick officials said they provided records requested by investigators and said the town sought three quotes before awarding a 2020 body camera contract to Mangan’s private business because it was the lowest bid. Officials said the company did not provide IT services to the town.
Newburgh officials said payments for police IT services were made to the Town of New Windsor, not to Mangan personally, while Walden officials said they were unaware of the investigation and had not been contacted by the District Attorney’s Office.
No criminal charges have been announced, and the investigation remains ongoing.