Fake architect pleads guilty in 3 counties
Staff report
State Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced Wednesday that Paul J. Newman, President of Cohesion Studios, Inc., entered guilty pleas in Albany, Rensselaer, and Saratoga Counties for defrauding construction companies, business owners and municipalities throughout the Capital Region by pretending to be a licensed and registered architect.
As a result of the Attorney General’s investigation, “Operation Vandelay Industries,” Newman was arrested and arraigned on three indictments charging him with 58 felonies related to his unauthorized practice of architecture, forgery, and submission of documents to various municipalities. This week, Newman entered guilty pleas in each jurisdiction for a total of six felonies, including 2nd degree grand larceny, a class D felony; 2nd degree forgery, a class D felony; Unauthorized Practice of a Profession, a class E felony; and scheme to defraud in the 1st degree, a class E felony. Newman is expected to be sentenced to 2 to 7 years in State Prison and enter into confessions of judgment in favor of his victims, totaling more than $115,000.
“Throughout the course of his fraudulent career, the defendant repeatedly demonstrated a disregard for the public safety of New Yorkers and a determination to cheat the system,” said Schneiderman. “The state law is clear – no license, no architectural work for you. No one is above that standard.”
“It is imperative, as a critical matter of public safety, that professional services in New York be provided by licensed and competent professionals,” said State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia. “We are pleased with our continuing work with Attorney General Schneiderman and his team of professionals in this prosecution, which helps our mission of protecting the public against unlicensed and incompetent practice.”
Scneiderman’s investigation revealed that Newman drafted architectural renderings for over 100 properties in Albany, Rensselaer and Saratoga Counties. Newman submitted these architectural renderings, as well as foundation inspections, field reports, energy compliance certificates and engineer letters to various towns and cities—falsely certifying on the documents that he was a registered and licensed architect and affixing a forged New York State Registered Architect Stamp or Professional Engineer Stamp.
According to statements by the prosecutors and admissions made by Newman as part of his guilty pleas, since at least 2010, Newman presented himself as an architect to multiple municipalities in the Capital Region. Newman advertised his architectural services on various social media outlets until he became aware that a complaint had been filed with the New York State Education Department (“NYSED”), Office of the Professions. Soon after, Newman removed any reference to “architecture” in his ads and replaced it with “design.”
In June 2015, investigators from NYSED, Office of the Professions received a complaint alleging that Newman was practicing architecture without a license. In May 2016, following the NYSED investigation, the matter was referred to the Attorney General’s Criminal Enforcement and Financial Crimes Bureau.