Nassau County District Attorney Denis Dillon announced that a New Hyde Park fuel delivery service, cited recently by the Nassau County Office of Consumer Affairs for deceptive trade practices involving the rigging of trucks to shortchange customers, has now been charged criminally in connection with those practices.

Dominick Fuel, Inc., located at 25 South Denton Avenue, New Hyde Park, is charged with two counts of Possession and Use of False Devices and one count of Unlawful Removal of a Security Seal. All are unclassified Misdemeanors.

According to Dillon, "On April 29, personnel from the Office of Consumer Affairs visited the Dominick Fuel, Inc. facility to inspect two oil delivery trucks. The inspection and testing performed at the site revealed that the trucks were rigged to pump air rather than oil through the trucks' meters. The air would spin the meter and register a higher gallon figure than was actually being pumped into the homeowner's oil tank. So, for example, a meter ticket would indicate to the homeowners that they had received 200 gallons of oil, when in fact only 150 gallons of oil had actually been pumped. In addition, inspectors found that four official Nassau County security seals, which had been placed on the meter of one of the trucks in March, had subsequently been removed. Consumer Affairs seized both trucks pursuant to the New York State Weights and Measures Law, and cited the company for deceptive trade practices and weights and measures violations. Consumer Affairs referred the case to our office, and we have determined that criminal charges are warranted. In addition, our investigation is continuing in order to determine whether any consumers were victimized by this company."

Dillon praised the work of the Office of Consumer Affairs and thanked Nassau County Commissioner of Consumer Affairs Roger Bogsted for referring the case to the district attorney's office.

The charges are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty - videotape available.