BATH, N.Y. (WENY) – Four men, including a Steuben County Legislator, have been indicted by a Steuben County Grand Jury on charges including county enterprise corruption and prostitution, according to Steuben County District Attorney Brooks Baker.

Larry Comfort Sr., Larry Comfort Jr., Jonathan Hamilton and Steven Maio, who is also a Steuben County Legislator, were named in a 54-count indictment handed up by the grand jury. All four are charged with Enterprise Corruption, based on allegations that the men were either knowledgeable or involved with a “criminal prostitution enterprise” between December 2015 and December 2020.

Previously, as WENY News reported, the case against these men, and Michael Stratton of Corning, who was not charged in this indictment, had to be refiled when it was initially dismissed following a “technical error”.

Maio was arrested back in August and charged with patronizing a prostitute; he has maintained his innocence and has not resigned as County Legislator. Maio is also a local attorney.

Comfort, Senior is also the same Larry Comfort who was paroled from state prison in 2013 after serving time following the fatal shooting of an NYSP investigator Robert Van Hall on December 5, 1980 in Corning. Larry Comfort, along with his brother, Joseph Comfort, were involved in a shootout that killed Inv. Van Hall, and wounded his partner, Investigator William Gorenflo, Sr., who were working undercover. Both Comforts were originally convicted of murder; Larry Comfort's murder conviction was overturned in 1985, though he was sentenced to 21-years-to life for first-degree Criminal Sale of Cocaine. Larry Comfort was granted parole in 2013. Joseph Comfort died in prison in January 2019.

Tuesday, Comfort Sr., and Hamilton were jointly charged with:

Four counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree; four counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree; one county of attempted criminal sale of a controlled sale of a controlled substance in the second degree.

According to DA Baker: Comfort Sr. and Hamilton “sold cocaine and attempted to sell cocaine on various dates during 2020”.

Comfort Sr. is individually charged with:

Criminal solicitation in the second degree (alleging he solicited another to commit the crime of second-degree murder); three counts of conspiracy in the second degree (alleging that he agreed with another to commit the crime of second-degree murder); conspiracy in the fourth degree (alleging he agreed with another that the crime of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree is committed); four counts of promoting prostitution in the fourth degree; attempted promoting prostitution in the fourth degree; sex trafficking; attempted sex trafficking; sale of untaxed cigarettes; four counts of endangering the welfare of a child; unlawful surveillance; promising prostitution in the second degree and promoting prostitution in the second degree as a sexually motivated felony (alleging that he advanced prostitution by force and did so for his own sexual gratification); attempted falsifying business records; and criminal solicitation.

Comfort Sr., Comfort Jr. and Hamilton are jointly charged with:

Sex trafficking (alleging that they “aiding and be aided by each other intentionally advance prostitution by providing a person who is patronized with narcotics to impair such person’s judgment); sex trafficking as a sexually motivated felony (alleging that they “aiding and be aided by each other intentionally advance prostitution by providing a person who is patronized with narcotics to impair such person’s judgment and did so in substantial part for their own direct sexual gratification)

Comfort Sr. and Comfort Jr. are jointly charged with:

Sex trafficking (alleging that they aiding and be aided by each other intentionally advance prostitution by providing a person who is patronized with narcotics to impair such person’s judgment)

Comfort Sr. and Maio are jointly charged with:

Forgery in the second degree based on allegations that they helped each other with the intent to “defraud knowingly made and completed a power of attorney.

Maio is individually charged with:

Two counts of patronizing a person for prostitution (alleging he patronized a prostitute in Corning in June 2020 as well as in the Town of Hornellsville in August 2020); attempting promoting prostitution in the third degree (alleging he attempted to advance or profit from prostitution by managing a prostitution business enterprise involving prostitution activity by two or more persons engaged in prostitution); conspiracy in the fifth degree (alleging that he agreed with others to commit the crime of promoting prostitution in the third degree); coercion in the second degree (based on allegations that with the intent to compel another to engage in conduct which she had the legal right to abstain from did induce that person to engage in sexual intercourse by “instilling in her a fear that if such demand was not met he would withhold information on the victim’s legal claim in a family court custody matter”); falsifying business records (based on allegations that with the intent to defraud and cover the commission of the crime of promoting prostitution in the third degree he caused false entry be made in the business records of New York State Police).

Hamilton is individually charged with:

Criminal contempt in the second degree (based on allegations that he in violation of a duly served order of protection directed third party contact to a protected party, a witness before the grand jury); obstructing government administration (alleging that he intentionally attempted to prevent a public servant from performing an official function, a grand jury investigation, by the independently unlawfuil act of criminal contempt).

A fifth man, Michael Stratton, had been previously named in the original indictment with these four men; however, he has not been charged in this indictment, according to the DA’s office. Comfort Sr. is currently in jail without bail. Maio, Comfort Jr., and Hamilton remain at liberty on “varying court-imposed conditions and bail amounts”. All four will appear in the Steuben County Court for arraignment on dates yet to be determined.

Attorney Matthew Buzzetti, who is representing Maio, released a statement, calling the allegations against his client "false". 

"My office looks forward to, once again, establishing that these allegations are legally baseless against Steve." 

You can read the full statement below: