The longtime friend of a New York State Democrat was charged with embezzling as much as $400,000 from the state-subsidized Christian charity he worked for, the Times Union reports.
Clement Gardner, the former treasurer for Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr., "was indicted on one count of second-degree grand larceny," the paper reports.
According to the Times Union:
The funds Gardner is accused of stealing came at least partially from state legislative earmarks, so-called member item funds, administered by the Empire State Development Corporation and the state Office of Children and Family Services.
"This criminal scheme turned a charity into a personal piggy bank," [Attorney General Eric] Schneiderman said.