John Revella, a Walden attorney who also serves as village manager and an Orange County legislator, has been charged in a federal indictment with four counts of filing false tax returns. He will be arraigned in the U.S. Federal Court in White Plains on March 25.

The indictment, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleges Revella failed to report more than $1.1 million in income from his solo real estate law practice between 2018 and 2022.
Prosecutors say Revella deposited legal fees into an attorney trust account, known as an IOLA account, and withdrew funds by writing checks to himself and cashing them.

Between 2018 and 2022, he allegedly cashed about 1,700 checks totaling more than $1.1 million.

The indictment claims he knowingly underreported that income on his personal tax returns, significantly understating his tax liability each year. The alleged tax loss to the federal government totals hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Each count corresponds to a specific tax year and filing and charges Revella with willfully submitting false returns under federal law.
The complaint, filed March 19, is signed by Jay Clayton, U.S Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

Revella, elected in 2025 to the Orange County Legislature represts the towns of Montgomery and New Windsor and the villages of Montgomery and Walden. He also serves as Walden Village Manager.

Walden Mayor Becky Pearson declined to comment.

Mark Lesko, Revella’s attorney, stated that the inaccuracies in his client’s tax returns should have been handled as a civil matter, not a criminal case. He added that these charges will undergo a long process, taking several months before a potential trial.

“Our initial reaction to the charges is that, to the extent there were inaccuracies in Mr. Revella’s tax returns, they should have been handled as a civil matter, not a criminal case,” Lesko said on March 24. “We will carefully scrutinize the government’s evidence and provide a vigorous defense. Mr. Revella looks forward to his day in court.”