Judge: Ex-Official Gave $85K To Daughter Instead Of State

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A former New York state official imprisoned for financial crimes has been hit with an $85,000 judgment by a federal judge for transferring money to his college professor daughter instead of paying restitution owed to the state.

The U.S. Attorney's Office says the judge found that Joseph Felix Strevell fraudulently transferred more than $100,000 to his daughter to avoid making payments stemming from his 2009 conviction for criminal fraud.

Strevell, a deputy secretary of state from 1997-99, pleaded guilty to stealing funds from a state-sponsored nonprofit agency he ran after leaving the government post.

He was ordered to pay $111,000 in restitution, but later pleaded guilty to perjury for lying about his ability to pay.

Strevell was sentenced last fall to 2½ years in prison.