Assemblyman Who Killed Himself Was Facing Wire Fraud Charges

Bill Nojay won a primary in September, four days after his death

The New York Assemblyman who killed himself in September was facing federal charges for allegedly stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from his clients, according to papers unsealed Monday.

Bill Nojay - a gun-rights advocate and early Trump supporter who was twice voted the most conservative legislator in the state - committed suicide in a Rochester cemetery on Sept. 9. At the time, reports suggested he was facing a criminal case of some kind.

As it turns out, a federal magistrate judge had signed a criminal complaint the day before his suicide alleging Nojay committed wire fraud.

The complaint, a copy of which was posted by Rochester NBC affiliate WHEC, alleges that Nojay siphoned off more than $800,000 from a law firm client for his campaign, lobbyists, a car dealer, his property tax bill and even his own children.

Nojay represented a variety of towns in Livingston, Monroe and Steuben counties. First elected to the Assembly in Nov. 2012, he won a primary election four days after his death. (Party officials picked a replacement for him.)

Besides his legal practice, Nojay also also hosted a radio show and volunteered as a paramedic. He was married with three grown childen.

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