Attorney general: Rensselaer architect a phony
RENSSELAER, N.Y. >> A man who worked on numerous housing projects in the Capital Region was not really a licensed and registered architect, and he now faces charges in three counties, according to state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
Three indictments were unsealed Thursday charging Paul J. Newman, 49, president of Cohesion Stu- dios, with defrauding construction companies, business owners and municipalities by pretending to be a licensed and registered architect.
An investigation revealed Newman drafted architectural renderings for more than 100 properties in Saratoga, Rensselaer and Albany counties and submitted them — along with foundation inspections, field re- ports, energy compliance certificates and engineer letters — to various towns and cities, falsely certifying on the documents that he was a registered and licensed architect, according to a news release from Schneiderman’s office. Newman also affixed forged state registered architect or professional engineer stamps to the documents, according to Schneiderman.
“As we allege, for over seven years, the defendant has pretended to be a registered architect, deceiving hundreds of New Yorkers — including families and senior citizens — with the sole goal of enriching himself,” Schneiderman said in the news release. “By allegedly falsifying building plans, code compliance inspections and field reports, the defendant jeopardized the safety
of those who resided in and frequented the buildings he was contracted to work on. Deceptive actions like these erode public trust — and my office will not tolerate them.” Newman, as the sole employee of Cohesion Studios — a Rensselaer-based architectural design company — was contracted to create architectural renderings and provide additional architectural services for projects that included:
• The Pastures Project in the town of North Greenbush. Between 2010 and 2015, Newman was hired as the architect for the development of more than 70 townhouses, receiving in excess of $50,000 for his services.
• The Lofts Project in town of Malta. Between 2014 and 2016, Newman was the Project Architect for the construction of a 214-unit multifamily apartment community, receiving in excess of $35,000.
• The Vistas Project in the town of Clifton Park. Between 2011 and 2014, Newman was hired as the architect for the development of more than 25 townhouses, receiving in excess of $35,000.
• The Ballston Senior Living Project in the town of Ballston. Between 2012 and 2013, Newman was hired as the architect for the development of a multistory senior living community, receiving in excess of $8,000.
Newman is charged in Rensselaer County with nine counts each of second- degree forgery and first-degree offering a false instrument for filing and single counts of seconddegree grand larceny, firstdegree scheme to defraud and unauthorized practice of a profession, all felonies. He was arraigned Monday in Rensselaer County Court and jailed pending a bail application.
In Saratoga County, Newman is charged with 13 counts each of of second- degree forgery and first-degree offering a false instrument for filing, three counts of unauthorized practice of a profession and individual counts of third-degree grand larceny and first-degree scheme to defraud. He was also arraigned Monday in Saratoga County Court.
Newman also faces charges in Albany County and faces as much as 5 to 15 years in prison if convicted of the most serious charge, Schneiderman said.
Newman has been presenting himself as an architect to multiple municipalities in the Capital Region since at least 2010, according to the attorney general. Newman took the license number of a registered architect he found on the Internet and created a fake stamp using that number and his own name which he then affixed to inspection letters submitted to municipalities across the state, Schneiderman said.
Newman also allegedly took the professional engineer stamp of a licensed engineer he worked with and fraudulently affixed a copy of the stamp, with a forged signature, to more than 1,000 pages of building plans. He also affixed fraudulent stamps and used the title “architect” on energy compliance certificates, foundation inspections, field reports and American Institute of Architects certificates, Schneiderman said.
Newman advertised his architectural services on various social media outlets until he became aware of a complaint filed with the state Education Department’s Office of the Professions, Schneiderman said. Soon after, Newman removed any reference to “architecture” in his ads and replaced it with “design,” according to Schneiderman.
Investigators from the state Education Department received a complaint in June 2015 alleging Newman was practicing architecture without a license. After the state investigation was completed, the case was referred to the Attorney General’s Criminal Enforcement and Financial Crimes Bureau in May 2016.