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State. Sen. James Skoufis on Monday told News 12 he is asking the Orange County District Attorney’s Office to investigate a frozen-food manufacturer that was awarded a tax break based on false statements.
Skoufis says Goshen’s Milmar Food Group received $2.5 million in tax relief from the Orange County Industrial Development Agency in 2022 as they expanded its operations near Route 17.
On its application, Milmar wrote the expansion would create 50 new jobs. But the company also submitted a site plan for the expansion to the Goshen Planning Board, stating the expansion would not add employees, and therefore not require the company to pay for additional parking and sewer lines.
"We believe there could be criminality vis-a-vis Milmar trying to act fraudulently with, in particular, the Planning Board, but also fraudulently, perhaps, with the IDA in trying to garner incentives,” said Skoufis.
Milmar agreed to make site-plan changes to accommodate additional employees, and the Planning Board eventually approved it. Milmar Food Group owner and CEO Martin Hoffman apologized in a letter to the board for the confusion.
"It was vindicating in that sense, but of course he found a way to create a bombastic headline…that's not really based in much fact,” said Orange County IDA CEO Bill Fioravanti.
The Orange County District Attorney's Office confirmed they received a request from Skoufis's committee to launch an investigation.
