Former Broome County DA Steve Cornwell stole, altered records of 1995 DWI arrest

Former Broome County District Attorney Steve Cornwell pleaded guilty to fourth-degree grand larceny Monday.

According to his successor, Broome County District Attorney Michael Korchak, Cornwell altered or destroyed files in an attempt to cover up his DWI arrest from nearly 30 years ago.

Cornwell stole hard copies of police reports and witness statements pertaining to his 1995 arrest on charges of driving while intoxicated, resisting arrest, assault of a police officer and obstruction of governmental administration, Korchak said.

He then altered his name and deleted his date of birth from corresponding digital files in an apparent attempt to prevent them from turning up in a search of an online case management database.

“This is not a happy day in Broome County,” Korchak said in a Tuesday press conference.

Former DA Steve Cornwell sentenced in public corruption case

Cornwell, who served as Broome County District Attorney from 2016 to 2019, was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and sentenced by Madison County Judge Donald Cerio to three years' conditional discharge. Under the terms of the felony charge, Cornwell also forfeited his license to practice law in New York state.

Also named in the indictment was James Worhach, who served as a communications specialist in the DA’s office under Cornwell. Worhach resigned from his position following a November 2020 DWI arrest.

He pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property and was sentenced to a one-year conditional discharge in exchange for admitting he stole and falsified county records relating to his own 2013 felony DWI conviction.

“This is a very difficult thing for me,” Korchak said, having worked as the chief assistant prosecutor during Cornwell's term. “But doing the right thing is not always easy, and that’s what we did in this case.”

Schuyler County District Attorney Joe Fazzary was appointed special prosecutor in the case, and Broome County judges recused themselves due to a conflict of interest in the matter.

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How the case has changed security protocols at DA's office

Korchak said Tuesday the missing and altered records were brought to the attention of the Broome County District Attorney’s Office during a regular review by record-keeping personnel. Evidence from computer audits and staff testimony was presented to a grand jury, which returned indictments on charges of theft, forgery and corruption in July 2021.

Other case files included in the boxes in which Cornwell and Worhach’s files were stored were also improperly removed from the office, Korchak said, calling the extraneous documents “collateral to what was taken.”

All the stolen files have been accounted for and most have been recovered, though Korchak said a full inventory is still underway and he is working with the county clerk’s office to ensure greater checks are in place to limit who can change and access computer data.

Broome County’s criminal case files, along with those of every New York county outside of New York City, are stored in case management software administered by the Albany-based New York Prosecutor’s Training Institute. In light of the case, Korchak said the institute is reviewing its security protocols.

Cornwell and Worhach were both named in a separate indictment stemming from the alleged misappropriation of more than $3,000 of county funds, but those charges against Cornwell were dropped, Korchak said, as prosecutors found “insufficient evidence” to connect the former DA.

The case against Worhach is still pending.

This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Ex-Broome County DA stole, altered records of past DWI arrest