City Carting of Westchester, Inc., and its manager, Christopher Oxer pleaded guilty to filing false financial records in association with contracts they have with Westchester County. The fraudulent charges stem from frequent visits to strip clubs by Oxer.
Under the terms of City Carting’s $20 million annual contract with Westchester County for waste and recyclable management in Yonkers and beyond, the company was obligated to submit its financial records to independent monitor, Kroll Associates. The financial records received by Kroll and the Solid Waste Commission, a county regulatory agency, became the basis of the Commission’s referral to the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office for criminal investigation.
During the investigation, the DA discovered that the defendants submitted false financial statements to conceal transactions made by Oxer at strip clubs in New York City between 2018 and 2019. These transactions totaled $135,000 on the company’s credit card. Shockingly, a single visit to one establishment accounted for $40,000 of these expenditures. The defendants deliberately entered these expenses into City Carting’s accounting records under the guise of legitimate business expenses such as tires, tolls, equipment, and maintenance.
“This brazen misuse of taxpayer dollars is an abuse of public trust by a government contractor, and my Office will continue to investigate and prosecute cases of public corruption and seek accountability for this kind of criminal conduct.”
Mimi Rocah – Westchester District Attorney
The charges and sentencing
Christopher Oxer, a 37-year-old resident of Darien, Connecticut, admitted guilt to the felony of Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree. City Carting of Westchester, Inc., pleaded guilty to Attempted Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree, a misdemeanor offense.
Pursuant to their plea agreements, Oxer is scheduled to be sentenced on August 2nd to six months in jail, which runs concurrent with his one-year federal prison sentence for tax fraud charges related to his actions. The corporation’s punishment amounts to a $5,000 fine, in addition to separate fines imposed by Westchester County, which has terminated their contract.
