SULLIVAN COUNTY — The race for Sullivan County Sheriff intensified this week as Tim Dymond, the challenger, made allegations of an FBI corruption investigation into the Sullivan County Sheriff’s office. The allegations were first made by Dymond on January 16 at a Legislature meeting, where he accused the Sheriff’s office of discrimination.

Dymond stated that he “listened to testimony indicating that the FBI has an active case investigating the Sheriff’s Office.” This allegation was contested on Monday, February 3, by a press release from Sullivan Legacy (established in 2023), an Independent Expenditure Committee based in Monticello with a mission to support “conservative, pro-America candidates in Sullivan County.” 

Nate Henderson, founder of Sullivan Legacy, filed a Freedom of Information/Privacy Act (FOIPA) request with the FBI to determine if any such investigation ever existed. On January 29, Henderson received a document from the FBI stating they have no record of any investigation into Schiff or his Department between 2017 and 2024. Schiff responded to the allegations with an online post on February 3 sharing the Sullivan Legacy’s press release and stating, “The campaign for Sheriff has begun and the opposition is already throwing mud. The latest rumor being used to defame me is that I am being investigated by the FBI. As you can see…that is not the truth.”

The back-and-forth exchange continued with Dymond’s online post later in the day on February 3, explaining that documents from active investigations aren’t released by the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) until they are closed. 

“So any claims about a FOIL request to the FBI turning up nothing don’t mean a damn thing because we’re speaking about an active investigation. The element of surprise is pretty important to law enforcement, and if criminals could FOIL active investigations into their wrongdoing, our effect in this would be greatly diminished.” Dymond continued, “last year I heard sworn testimony during a public article 75 hearing in the Sullivan County legislative chambers that included detailed discussions about the FBI having an active investigation into Sullivan County Sheriff’s office for public corruption.” 

Henderson later followed up with a video explaining that he filed a federal FOIPA request that “follows completely different legal standards.” 

Bijoy Data, a representative from Dymond’s campaign, responded to an inquiry from the Democrat, saying in an email that the Article 75 hearings in question took place in July and August of 2024 and were conducted in regards to Sullivan County Police Benevolent Association’s President Jack Harb. 

Dymond’s statements were corroborated by Former Lieutenant Paul Slavik, who was a witness at the hearing. Slavik confirmed that testimony at this hearing revealed an FBI investigation of corruption into a “high-level ranking official” of the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office; he also confirmed that the investigation is ongoing. 

The Democrat reached out to the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office for comment on the above allegations but have not received a response at press time.