William J. Comiskey, Former NYS Deputy Commissioner for Tax Enforcement, Joins Hodgson Russ
William J. Comiskey, the immediate past deputy commissioner of tax enforcement for the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, has joined Hodgson Russ’s State & Local Tax; Business Crimes, Regulatory Offenses & Corporate Investigations; New York Tax Investigations & Defense; Health Law; and False Claims Act Practice Groups.
Gary M. Schober, president and CEO of Hodgson Russ, said, “As our lawyers got to know Bill in his role as deputy tax commissioner, we were exceptionally impressed with the range and depth of his knowledge of New York tax compliance issues. The wealth of experience he has gained through top-level government positions with the state agencies responsible for tax enforcement and for investigating and prosecuting health care fraud, physician misconduct, complex financial fraud, and official misconduct will complement the strength of several of the firm’s multidisciplinary practice areas and will provide a distinct advantage to our firm’s clients, especially as they face ever-increasing governmental efforts to enforce tax and health care compliance. We are delighted to have Bill become part of our team.”
As the deputy commissioner for tax enforcement at the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, Mr. Comiskey served as New York’s top tax enforcement officer and was in charge of approximately 2,500 auditors, collectors, and criminal investigators. Mr. Comiskey also held two key positions in the health care area. He served as the deputy attorney general in charge of New York’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, the largest state law enforcement unit in the nation dedicated to fighting Medicaid fraud and patient abuse, and he served as the director of the Bureau of Professional Medical Conduct in New York’s Department of Health, where he was counsel and chief prosecutor for New York’s physician disciplinary board. Mr. Comiskey also held leadership positions as a prosecutor in the attorney general’s criminal division, prosecuting fraud, corruption, and organized crime cases, and he served as chief assistant district attorney in Rensselaer County and as an assistant district attorney in the Manhattan district attorney’s office.
