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District Attorney Daniel Donovan's office outlined Staten Island's prosecutorial needs for Council members during a preliminary budget hearing on Thursday.

(Advance file photo)

CITY HALL -- The Staten Island district attorney's office has asked the city to fund the creation of an asset forfeiture unit, help staff the new courthouse and secure the continuation of a key drug treatment program on the borough.

Chief Assistant District Attorney Daniel Master outlined Staten Island's prosecutorial needs for Council members during a preliminary budget hearing Thursday.

"The first responsibility of government is the safety of its residents," District Attorney Daniel Donovan said in written testimony, presented by Master, to the Council. "I ask that the City Council work with the mayor to find a way to address my concerns."

NEW UNIT

Donovan's office asked the city Office of Management and Budget for $211,700 annually for a civil forfeiture unit to seize the proceeds or instruments of crime.

The money would be used to hire two new assistant district attorneys with experience investigating and prosecuting asset forfeiture cases on the state and federal level. The district attorney's office would also hire a forensic accountant as a consultant.

The team would analyze existing cases for assets and forfeitures that could benefit government programs and hunt down those who may be committing financial fraud.

An assistant district attorney has already been assigned to ensure vouchered money seized from convicted defendants were forfeited, but there is no full-time staff working on such cases.

The district attorney's office hopes the unit could build on a grant-funded initiative that combats financial crimes depriving New York of revenue.

"The Asset Forteiture Unit will possess expertise in all types of financial fraud crimes the the goal of increasing asset forfeiture, as well as other types of proceeds that may be potentially eligible for the City Revenue Agreement," Donovan said in written testimony to the Council.

NEW COURT, NEW STAFF

Donovan has also requested $214,966 annually to staff the new state Supreme Court in St. George and handle an accelerated trial schedule with a new Criminal Court part.

The Office of Court Administration is providing a new judge, a law secretary, clerks, court reporters and officers. The district attorney's office must add two new assistant district attorneys and two criminal court clerks.

"Staten Island has deserved this for quite a long time," Donovan said of the courthouse in written testimony. "However, my office does need the additional resources to address the accelerated workload that will be occurring from they unfunded mandate."

TASC UNFUNDED, AGAIN

A key borough program is also unfunded next fiscal year. The Treatment Alternatives for Safer Communities (TASC) program is an alternative to incarceration program that manages most cases for the Staten Island Drug Treatment Court, which puts non-violent addicted criminals into treatment.

"TASC keeps track of the progress of these defendants by performing drug tests, follow-up interviews, and monitoring court appearances," Donovan said in written testimony.

The program was nearly shut down in 2011 because of state funding cuts. The City Council has allocated $250,000 for the last four fiscal years to keep the program running.

Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson (D-Bronx), chair of the public safety committee, said that she believed TASC should be a baselined in the mayor's budget. Donovan has had to regularly request the funds.

The district attorney said in written testimony that the program effectively saved the city $6.4 million in incarceration costs last year.

"Closing this program makes absolutely no sense," he said.

The city is reviewing the prosecutor's proposals.

QUESTIONING FROM A RIVAL

Donovan, currently running as a Republican for Staten Island's open congressional seat, didn't attend the budget hearing because he was at the funeral mass for state Supreme Court Justice Robert J. Collini, according to his office.

The funeral was at 9:30 a.m. in Pleasant Plains. Though testimony began around 1 p.m., the city's five prosecutors were scheduled to begin speaking at noon and Donovan's office was worried about traffic coming from the South Shore.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., in Albany on Thursday, did not attend in person either and had a representative at the hearing.

If Donovan had attended, he would have faced questioning from Councilman Vincent Gentile (D-Brooklyn). Donovan's congressional opponent, who sits on the public safety committee, was the only Council member who asked Master a direct question.

Gentile wondered whether the district attorney's office was able to assistant Hurricane Sandy victims targeted for insurance fraud.

Master conceded that specialized staff would help the district attorney's office more effectively handle such cases, but said there have been prosecutions for insurance fraud issues.