Kings Park attorney Lawrence Gray has been trading nasty barbs with Suffolk County Attorney Christine Malafi over which legal road to take to recoup monies from a group of indicted asphalt companies.
In a May 17th letter to Malafi, and copied to other government officials, Gray called Malafi “an incompetent political hack.”
Malafi responded by warning Gray in a letter of her own to “cease and desist” from slandering her.
Gray, a former prosecutor, is the husband of Republican Smithtown councilwoman Joanne Gray. Malafi is the wife of Suffolk legislator Louis D’Amaro.
Gray has been sending letters to Malafi and other county officials for months, expressing frustration with the county for not going after past monies paid to several asphalt firms indicted last year for bid-rigging.
Gray said the county could begin proceedings now to recoup the money. In his letter of May 17 to Levy, he calls Malafi an “incompetent political hack” and urges the county instead to hire “outside white-collar, button-down” law firms to pursue the companies.
Malafi shot back with a letter to Gray, calling his letters ‘rantings’ and warning him to stop slandering her.
“He’s accusing me and the county of not protecting the taxpayers,” said Malafi. “We’re doing everything we can. We’ve stopped payment on work, even work not part of the indictment. \[Gray\] wants to go back 10 years, and that is simply not the law.”
“It’s one thing to disagree, but he’s been childish. I worked long and hard to get to where I am. I’m a good lawyer and I’m also not going to have someone disparage the county.”
Gray said he believes the county should hire outside firms. “I’m a private citizen,” the former prosecutor said. “She’s depriving a citizen of free speech and intimidating a resident.”
Stacey Altherr
Comments (1)
"...intimidating a resident"!!! That's all Larry Gray and his wife Joanne Gray do!!!!
Their behavior is childish, using name-calling in lieu of facts and the law. I have been the target of many attacks. The most recent was simply a discussion on the origins of Mother's Day. Gray's free speech allows him to rant that "Mother’s Day peaceniks are wrong", that they are "naive dim bulbs", "liars and hypocrites." He misquotes Orwell’s Animal Farm, and insults the women activists who fought to enact a “Mother’s Day for Peace”. And he demeans all women by stating “To the rest, dummy up for a while or go have a latte with mocha. Or cook your old man a good meal.”
Thank you Suffolk County Attorney Christine Malafi!