Long Island Fire Officials Accused of Corruption

[Porsha911gt3 8]

Long Island Fire Officials Accused of Corruption

Prosecutors on Long Island are accusing officials working with firefighting and ambulance organizations of spending more than $550,000 in public funds on personal expenses over the past decade. Long Island reporter Emily Smith has more.

It's a sad day for firefighters across Long Island. Some of these are people who risk their lives every day to save others. Now, they're accused of misusing taxpayers hard-earned money.

Long Island fire officials who have collectively served the community for more than 200 years were in handcuffs Tuesday.

Eight people were arrested for what investigators are calling mismanagement of taxpayer money.

Five of those accused are reportedly current or former members of the Selden Board of Fire Commissioners. Authorities say the other three are affiliated with the Terryville fire department, the Montauk fire district and the East Moriches Ambulance Committee.

Officials say one person inappropriately spent more than $500,000 in taxpayer funds, while the others spent a total of more than $50,000.

Attorneys for the Selden fire officials say the charges in Selden mostly have to do with taxpayer money being spent on dinners during out of town conferences and say it is not that excessive.

"Keep in mind that the airfares were paid for privately...and we're not talking about $70,000 in a year, we're talking about over the past four years," attorney Ray Perini said.

"It's hard to believe, I mean these guys are out there risking their lives," one resident said. "You gotta have a big heart to save somebody's life, and then you're cheating on the tax money? It's just a little hard to believe."

The ongoing corruption investigation began more than a year ago, authorities said.

Copyright 2007 by WABC-TV.

[msm232 69]

Eight fire and ambulance officials arrested

BY ERIK GERMAN

erik.german@newsday.com

March 21, 2007

A year-long criminal probe of Suffolk fire and ambulance districts yielded a parade of suspects in handcuffs Tuesday, all accused of plundering public funds in a "pattern of thievery" District Attorney Thomas Spota called "shameful."

Seven current or former members of Suffolk County fire districts, along with the president of a Suffolk ambulance district, were charged with stealing taxpayer funds in schemes ranging from the spectacular to mundane:

A former Montauk fire district treasurer, Terri Gaines, spent $500,000 in district funds on European vacations, casino junkets and private schooling for her son, Spota said at a Hauppauge press conference.

East Moriches Ambulance company president Alan Crane stole $6,500, Spota said, spending it on items such as pork chops and a guitar.

The largest group spotlighted Tuesday was the five current and former members of Selden's board of fire commissioners. Authorities arrested and charged them with stealing $52,600 in district funds and lying about it on false receipts that prosecutors said they submitted after out-of-state conferences. The grand larceny count could carry a prison term of up to 7 years and the false filing charges carries a penalty of up to four years..

"These individuals are nothing more than thieves," Spota said. "They used taxpayer monies for themselves and their families to gamble, and their conduct is reprehensible."

Past Selden commissioners Robert Santora, Joseph Callari and Jack Emr, along with current commissioners James Spatafora and Joseph Parenti were arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip and pleaded not guilty.

Also in court was former Terryville Fire Department volunteer Michael Konsevitch, who pleaded not guilty to pocketing $5,200 from the department's carnival account. Konsevitch's attorney James McElhone, of Miller Place, said, "It was a one-time thing and did not involve taxpayer money." Prosecutors said Konsevitch signed a "full confession."

Crane's lawyer, Charles Rosen of Hauppauge, said Crane is "upset and disturbed about the charges" and maintains his innocence.

Gaines was arraigned in East Hampton Justice Court and her bail was set at $10,000. Gaines is also represented by McElhone, who said he would dispute the extent of the alleged theft. He also said some of the checks were reimbursements to Gaines for money she spent on district expenses.

All except Gaines, arrived in Central Islip handcuffed but were released on their own recognizance.

The Selden Fire District's attorney, Raymond Perini, of Hauppauge, who spoke on behalf of the five charged Selden officials in court, said it was important to remember their long-standing volunteerism.

"Collectively, they have hundreds of years of service and who knows how many times they put their lives on the line for Selden," he said. "We look forward to putting this investigation behind us."

But Perini acknowledged that the misuse of funds "was a mistake" and that his clients intended to repay the money. Spota said he would seek $23,000 from Santora, $11,000 from Spatafora, $9,000 from Emr, $5,100 from Parente and $4,500 from Callari.

The Selden commissioners were accused of using district funds for excessive travel spending, including extravagant dinners, meals for family members, amusement park admission tickets and alcohol. Because the commissioners also approved their own travel budgets, Assistant District Attorney Laura Newcombe said, "This is a case of a fox in charge of a henhouse."

A Newsday story on Nov. 1 disclosed that Selden commissioners accounted poorly for hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars spent at dozens of conferences in Las Vegas, Orlando, Fla., and other cities over the last decade. Commissioners acknowledged routinely writing receipts on business cards, a practice the state comptroller discourages, and improperly spending portions of their food allowance on alcohol.

Staff writers Joseph Mallia and Susana Enriquez contributed to this report.

Copyright 2007 Newsday Inc.