Mollen: Too Soon To Assess Moreland Investigation

Broome County District Attorney Gerald Mollen says it'll take time to assess the value of the work of the Moreland commission on public corruption.

Mollen was one of the members of the panel created by Governor Cuomo last summer to investigate wrongdoing involving state elected officials. But the governor pulled the plug on the commission before it completed its work.

Speaking on WNBF Radio's Binghamton Now program, Mollen said it's "too early to judge" the impact of the investigative efforts conducted over the past several months.

Mollen said the commission collected a "tremendous amount" of "powerful information that needs to be looked at closely."

The district attorney said although the commission will no longer exist, that "doesn't mean that the information is going to be buried in a landfill."

Preet Bharara, the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York, plans to review the information developed by the commission.

Mollen wouldn't speculate as to whether the material will result in indictments. But, he said: "If it should result in criminal prosecutions, I'll be happy that it does."

The veteran prosecutor said: "Our system is in trouble in New York state. It needs to be examined closely." Mollen said he hoped the commission has "shed some light on some issues and made some recommendations" that will result in improvements.

Mollen declined to discuss "the detailed debates within the commission" about complaints that the Cuomo administration was interfering with the panels' work. He said "it was an occasional source of tension."