As I read the article "Manor life for fraud convict," April 29, I found myself wondering how J. Felix Strevell, the former barber and Senate staffer, can steal more than $100,000, possibly $200,000, from the state and not do a day in jail?
Also, I wondered how Mr. Strevell, who was sentenced to home confinement and probation after pleading guilty to fraud, gets to reside in a property assessed at $670,000 while paying a measly $100 a month to the state for restitution?
At that rate, if my math is correct, it will take 87 years to pay back the state. Will the bill be absolved or paid off by his estate upon Mr. Strevell's passing?
I have heard of other cases where officials have stolen far less and have had to sell their homes and been sentenced to jail time. How to account for this relatively light sentence even after Mr. Strevell admitted he raided the finances of a state-sponsored nonprofit?
I also couldn't help but think how $100,000 to $200,000 could help out school districts making difficult budget decisions at this time (providing someone in the state didn't funnel the money to their own little perk or make a job for a no-show relative).
I would love to see a follow-up article in the Times Union as a result of what you brought to light that says immediate restitution has been made and the taxpayers aren't once again taking it on the chin for people that have no moral compass.
Thank you for bringing this travesty of justice to light.
Valerie Dechene
Ballston Lake