Former Broome DA Cornwell Pleads Guilty to Grand Larceny

Stephen Cornwell, a former Broome County district attorney, has been fined $5,000 after he pleaded guilty to a felony count of fourth-degree grand larceny.

The 49-year-old Cornwell entered the plea in Broome County Supreme Court Monday morning.

According to special prosecutor Joseph Fazzary, Cornwell admitted he stole property on March 22, 2019. The illegally acquired material included records of Broome County District Attorney cases.

In addition to the fine, Judge Donald Cerio sentenced Cornwell to a three-year conditional discharge. Cornwell's license to practice law in New York state will be revoked because of the felony conviction.

37-year-old James Worhach, who was Cornwell's administrative assistant, pleaded guilty on Monday to a count of fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, a misdemeanor. He admitted to possessing the contents of a criminal case file belong to the district attorney's office on November 13, 2020.

Worhach was sentenced to a one-year conditional discharge. He still faces several felony counts related to a second indictment filed by a Broome County grand jury in 2021.

Fazzary is the Schuyler County district attorney. Both cases are being prosecuted by that office with the assistance of Schenectady County prosecutors.

Broome County District Attorney Michael Korchak - who succeeded Cornwell in the office - in July 2021 announced the indictment of Cornwell and Worhach after a long-term public corruption investigation.

At the time, Korchak said the investigation was launched in 2020 after county employees discovered files were missing. He said the review determined files were destroyed, missing or deleted.

Judge Cerio ruled Korchak had a conflict of interest in the cases and ordered they be handled by a special prosecutor.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.