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May 02, 2023

Man Found Guilty for Lying on Cayuga County Job Application

A Rochester man previously convicted in 2013 of criminal tax fraud for

A Rochester man previously convicted in 2013 of criminal tax fraud for embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars is likely going back to prison after being convicted by a Cayuga County jury Thursday of two counts of offering a false instrument for filing.

Cayuga County District Attorney Brittany Grome Antonacci said the jury deliberated for a little over an hour before delivering its verdict in Charles Grefer's trial.

In December of 2021, Grefer submitted an online application for Director of Community Services for Cayuga County, a position that is responsible for administering mental health services for the County and managing a multimillion-dollar budget. On the application paperwork, Grefer claimed that he had no prior criminal record and that he was a licensed mental health counselor. However, Grefer was on parole for two felony convictions and had also previously been convicted of multiple other crimes. New York State revoked Grefer's counselor license in 2019 because of his criminal convictions.

Grefer was previously convicted of grand larceny and criminal tax fraud in Onondaga County 10 years ago for embezzling over $383,000 by means of forged checks.

Grefer is facing an additional sentence of two-to-four years in prison when sentenced on August 17th