CHEMUNG COUNTY, N.Y. -- Chemung County Sheriff Christopher Moss held a press conference Wednesday morning, one day after finding out he was being sued for libel.
This all stems from his investigation into Deputy County Executive Mike Krusen's usage of a company fuel card.
Moss spent most of his time in front of cameras justifying his investigation. He shared that since August 2012, Krusen has charged more than $9,600 in fuel for his personal vehicle, a number that it just doesn't add up to him.
Moss said he believes nearly $2,500 was used for personal travel, even saying some statements show the card was used on holidays, when Krusen would not be working.
Krusen, who took on a part-time role as president of the Southern Tier Economic Growth Organization, said there was an agreement in place that he would still be allowed to use the gas card for his personal vehicle, particularly for traveling associated with the new role.
The sheriff said Krusen's fuel usage is now being looked at as a criminal investigation and denied accusations that he is politically motivated. Moss admitted he has considered running for county executive, but says this is part of his job and he's doing his due diligence investigating a complaint.
He says there's no timeline on how long this investigation will take.
The case was originally sent over to the New York Attorney General's Binghamton regional office, but has since been kicked back and will be assigned to another county without a conflict.
Moss also briefly mentioned his office is taking on an additional investigation looking into the sale of First Arena. We'll have more details on that when they're made available.