Former Saugerties Police Chief Joseph Sinagra is suing three members of the Saugerties Town Board for defamation, seeking $2.5 million for statements made on either end of his retirement.
Town Supervisor Fred Costello and councilmen Zach Horton and Mike Ivino were served with the filing during a break at a town board meeting held at the Frank D. Greco Senior Center on Wednesday, August 14. Costello said he believed the timing was deliberate, noting that the filing was dated July 24 of this year.
“I think the delivery of it at the meeting was pageantry,” he said. “This was already served in a different capacity. That was pure pageantry.”
Sinagra retired from the Saugerties Police Department last September in the wake of a July 7, 2023 report by New York State Attorney General Letitia James’ Law Enforcement Misconduct Investigative Office (LEMIO) which covered multiple complaints against officer Dion Johnson, including allegations of harassment and sexual assault. Town board members pointed to the report and the department’s response as a primary motivation for placing Sinagra on administrative leave over the summer of 2023. Sinagra maintained that he hadn’t done anything wrong and pointed to other factors.
According to the filing, Sinagra is not only seeking the stated dollar amount, but also an award of damages at trial commensurate with loss of income, legal expenses and damage to his reputation. The filing cites statements made by the three members of the town board in local media, including Hudson Valley One have yielded “unsavory or evil opinion in the minds of a significant number of people in the community.”
“Supervisor Costello’s and town board (members’) statements to the public falsely demonstrate that (Sinagra) has been engaging in behavior incompatible with the proper ethical or professional conduct of his business trade,” reads the filing. “Additionally, these false, defamatory and untruthful public statements have adversely affected the claimant’s business and ability to obtain/retain employment opportunities and have adversely affected his professional career.”
In an interview with Hudson Valley One last December, Sinagra said he was let go from his position as a law enforcement liaison for the governor’s traffic safety committee a month earlier without justifiable cause due to “media interest” after being assigned to the role by NYSACOP. He believes it was another political move related to the town board of Saugerties.
“It’s all rumor, but my understanding was that somebody from Saugerties actually went and spoke to the governor and put the kibosh on my job up there,” Sinagra said in December. “Well, that’s wrong. Again, that is to defame me and my reputation…If they weren’t out to get me, then why did I lose my job with GTSD after being there for a whole month when they knew about all of this?”
Last week, Sinagra directed an interview request to his attorney, Stephen G. DeNigris of Albany-based DeNigris Law Firm, PLLC. DeNigris responded via email, saying it is office policy to not comment on litigation absent extraordinary circumstances.
“In this regard, we allow the allegations set forth in the lawsuit to express our position concerning Chief Sinagra’s former employment with the Town of Saugerties,” wrote DeNigris. “Suffice it to say, however, Chief Sinagra did an outstanding job as the chief of police in the Town of Saugerties. When the chief retired, Saugerties residents lost a valuable resource and asset.”
Costello said he didn’t believe the filing had any merit. “I strongly disagree with what’s outlined as the merits of the claim, but as it’s a court system, we’re going to go through that and we’ll figure it out,” Costello said. “I do find it ironic though, you know, we’re not the ones repeatedly bringing this topic up.”
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