Monroe County's Economic Crimes Task Force began a criminal investigation into former Greece School Superintendent Steve Walts.

This is the second time the Monroe County district attorney's office has looked into Walts' actions during his time with the district.

Greece School Board President Julia VanOrman said the board asked for the second investigation after a forensic audit, last year, revealed Walts excessively spent district money during the 2001 Capital Improvement Project.

Neither VanOrman or the Greece school board's attorney, Laura Purcell, would comment any further on the investigation.

Greece police say they are working with the county's economic crimes unit to evaluate whether Walts' behaviors are considered criminal.

The board turned over information in a comptroller's audit, released last year, to the New York State attorney general's office and Monroe County district attorney's office.

Those offices found no basis for criminal charges after their

first investigation.

The comptroller’s audit found misspending of up to $2.5 million for the district’s CIP. The board called for a forensic audit after major construction deficiencies surfaced in several Greece schools.

After the forensic audit reported notable problems with 34 of the 38 CIP contractors, the board called for a second investigation into Walts’ actions. The forensic audit also found misspending such as 10 to 15 percent markups on expenses.

Some Greece parents had mixed feelings about the investigation.

"I suspect that it's something they have to do, it's a due diligence kind of thing. There's reasons to believe that money was misspent, but whether there was criminal or intent to spend the money or if it was a mistake or incompetence or just too many things going on at the same time," Greece PTA Co-President Gary Elling said.

"It's probably worth pursuing to see what the options are," Greece parent Scott Chase said.

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