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The Monroe County District Attorney’s Office is cooperating with lawyer-investigators contracted by the town of Greece to investigate the actions of the now-suspended Police Chief Mike Wood.
What the DA’s office can share has not been publicly acknowledged; however, there was an extensive investigation into the crimes of former Deputy Supervisor Michelle Marini, who pleaded guilty to grand larceny in 2025. (See my Democrat and Chronicle story: “Former Greece official admits to grand larceny crimes”)
DA office officials acknowledged the cooperation last week, but declined to discuss the extent of what has been shared.
There could be limits to what the office can provide.
For one, there is the question of what is public and what is not, and what could be sought via public access requests. Also, some of the original allegations against Marini, including allegations that she was involved in the automobile tracking of two individuals, were not part of her plea.
Questions surrounding the tracking could be one that the attorneys—former federal prosecutor Richard Resnick and local private attorney Laurie Vahey—scrutinize in the investigation.
Publicly, there have not been answers about who initially okayed the tracking of a town police officer and a resident who’d been critical of the town government. But Wood was apparently in the chain that approved the tracking.
In their agreements with the town, both attorneys note that the information provided to Greece could become subject to Freedom of Information Laws or could be shared publicly if there is litigation.
(I obtained the contracts for Resnick and Vahey via state Freedom of Information Laws.)
Here is an excerpt, describing in part what is expected:
The contracts show that the attorneys are being paid $365 an hour and lesser amounts for work by associates or paralegals—rates that are in line with work by private attorneys in the Rochester area.
The current time frame for the investigation is several months, according to town officials.
Vahey and Resnick declined to comment. Town officials said that the investigation is being conducted independently.
Lawsuits being settled
Greece resident Ryan Murphy was one of those whose family car was tracked by private investigators hired by the town. He and his family recently settled a lawsuit against the town; the terms have yet to be made public.
Murphy has been a critic of the previous administration in Greece. Records show that town officials claimed Murphy was harassing them, a claim denied by Murphy and his lawyers.
Also suing the town is the family of former Greece police officer Matthew Bachman. He was fired from the department after police officials determined he was continuing to do jobs outside his police work while collecting workers’ compensation benefits for an on-the-job injury.
His wife, Tina Bachman, has alleged in the lawsuit against Greece that the Bachmans were targeted because she provided information that led to Marini’s arrest.
Marini admitted that she had town-contracted workers do odd jobs at her home and the homes of her children.
The Bachman lawsuit also appears to be approaching settlement.
Here is an earlier story: “Three lawsuits against Town of Greece near settling”
This Rochester Beacon story from earlier this year also includes much of the history: “Federal judge questions legality of Greece automobile tracking”
The suspension of Chief Wood and the resignation of Greece Deputy Police Chief Naser Zenelovic came hours after a Substack I published in late May about a New York State Police investigation into criminal allegations involving Zenelovic. The DA’s office decided not to prosecute.
Here is that post: “State police investigation found possible misconduct by former Rochester police captain”
Gary Craig is a Rochester Beacon contributing writer. A retired Democrat and Chronicle reporter, he now writes on Substack.
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