Office of the Albany County (N.Y.) District Attorney Investigation "D" ("Troopergate") Records

Numerical by folder. (The redacted photocopies used to produce the electronic files that comprise this series were loosely placed in boxes, and information concerning their original arrangement was not provided. The photocopies were scanned in the order in which they were received. The resulting electronic files are grouped into folders that correspond to the boxes received from the District Attorney's Office and numbered sequentially within each folder.)

In mid-2007, a series of press accounts alleged that Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno had made inappropriate use of State travel resources. It soon became apparent that senior Executive Chamber staffers might have directed the State Police to compile information concerning Senator Bruno's travel and then released the information to the news media in hopes of discrediting a political rival; moreover, Governor Eliot L. Spitzer might have known and approved of their actions. The State Office of the Attorney General, the State Office of the Inspector General, the State Commission on Public Integrity, and the Albany County District Attorney's Office all opened inquiries into the resulting scandal, which was quickly dubbed "Troopergate."

The inquiries conducted by the State Office of the Attorney General and the State Office of the Inspector General, both of which ended on July 23, 2007, and the Albany County District Attorney's Office, which ended on September 22, 2007, all determined that neither the Governor nor his staff had committed any crimes; the State Office of the Attorney General also investigated Senator Bruno's usage of State travel resources and determined that he had not violated any laws or policies. However, in late 2007, testimony that Governor Spitzer's Director of Communications, Darren Dopp, gave before the State Commission on Public Integrity led the Commission to request that the District Attorney's Office open a second "Troopergate" inquiry. This inquiry, named Investigation "D," examined whether Dopp had committed perjury or other crimes when supplying statements to the State Office of the Attorney General on July 22, 2007.

On March 28, 2008, the District Attorney's Office concluded that neither Dopp, who was given immunity in exchange for "truthful, under oath testimony on what occurred during 'Troopergate,'" nor other Executive Chamber staffers had committed any criminal acts. The State Commission on Public Integrity resumed its investigation and on 24 July 2008 concluded that Dopp, Secretary to the Governor Richard Baum, Assistant Secretary for Homeland Security William Howard, and Acting State Police Superintendent Preston Felton had violated various provisions of Section 74 of the Public Officers Law, which outlines the code of ethics all state employees must observe. Baum and Howard settled with the Commission, but Dopp and Felton contested the charges against them.

This series consists of redacted electronic copies of 8,562 pages of paper records that the Albany County District Attorney's Office created or gathered as it investigated whether Darren Dopp, Governor Eliot L. Spitzer's Director of Communications, had perjured himself or committed other crimes during a 2007 inquiry into the "Troopergate" scandal. Included are transcripts of interviews that investigators conducted with Executive Chamber staffers Christine Anderson, Richard Baum, Darren Dopp, William Howard, Sean Patrick Maloney, David Nocenti, Peter Pope, and Marlene Turner; Acting State Police Superintendent Preston Felton; and Dopp's wife, Sandra Dopp, and legal advisor, David Weinraub.

Also present are State Police records, some of which were retroactively created at the request of the Executive Chamber, and Executive Chamber records concerning various State officials' use of State-owned aircraft and vehicles. Copies of electronic mail messages sent or received by Executive Chamber and State Police staffers are also included. Most of these messages were sent or received by Darren Dopp or William Howard; messages written by Governor Spitzer, who used a personal electronic mail account that identified him only as "Laurence," are scattered throughout. The 8,562 Portable Document Format (PDF) files that comprise this series consist of electronic copies of redacted paper records that the Albany County Clerk's Office created in late July or early August 2008. The original records were created in 2007 and early 2008.

Use copies of the files, encoded in Portable Document Format (PDF), are available through the New York State Archives.

In response to numerous State Freedom of Information Law requests for access to materials gathered in connection with Investigation "D," the Albany County District Attorney's Office photocopied all of the records that it had gathered in connection with Investigation "D" and redacted legally restricted information contained within them. It then transferred the photocopies to the Albany County Clerk's Office, which arranged to produce and distribute electronic copies of the records and continues to provide access to the records. The New York State Archives obtained electronic copies of the records because they complement its holdings documenting Governor Spitzer's tenure of office.

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of this material.