News

Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice announced last week that the first of five defendants charged in connection with a 16-month probe into allegations of corruption within the North Hempstead Town's building department has pleaded guilty to six felony charges and will be sentenced in December to serve three months in the Nassau County Jail.

Andrew Acierno, 43, of Westbury, a former plans examiner within the building department, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of scheme to defraud, two felony counts offering a false instrument for filing - 1st degree and three felony counts of filing a false tax return. These charges represent the highest charges Acierno was facing as the result of his Oct. 15 arrest.

Acierno was initially arrested in January on similar charges and suspended, without pay, from his $56,796 a year position with the town. At that time, Nassau County DA's office charged that Acierno, on six different occasions - from November 2004 to October 2005, forged the name of licensed architect Andrew Corva and submitted drawings for new construction to the town as well as fraudulently used Corva's name on building permit applications for two residences.

In total, there are 19 counts against Acierno, occurring between Nov. 2, 2004 through April 20, 2007, the latter being tax evasion.

In addition to requiring Acierno to serve jail time, the DA has required him to pay $27,828 in restitution to New York State, as well as a $5,000 fine.

"These defendants will be held accountable for betraying the public trust and for tarnishing the name of an honest town and of their honest colleagues," said Rice. Acting County Court Judge Edward Maron, who is expected to impose the sentence Dec. 19.

On Oct. 15, district attorney investigators arrested four former or current members of the town's building department, including former commissioner, David Wasserman, and deputy commissioner, Joseph Madden. Also arrested was building inspector Thomas McDonough. Indicted in August was former plumbing inspector Joseph Lomonaco. All four defendants face charges ranging from grand larceny to bribe receiving to official misconduct.

Acierno, a former plans examiner from 2004 to 2006, was arrested, charged and convicted for an ongoing scheme to defraud the Town of North Hempstead and the State of New York, accord to Rice. He performed work and earned income as a draftsman on homes within the Town of North Hempstead while simultaneously employed and earning a salary as a plans examiner with the town, in violation of the town's code of ethics. Rice stated that Acierno failed to disclose the income from his private-sector business, as required on his Town Annual Statements of Financial Disclosure. According to the DA, Acierno filed permit applications and plans listing others as the architect on projects he designed. In addition, Rice said that Acierno concealed the income from his private-sector business on his personal income tax returns, which he filed with the State of New York for tax years 2004, 2005 and 2006.

Assistant District Attorney Karen Bennett, who is also deputy chief of the DA's Public Corruption Bureau, is handling the case for the District Attorney's Office. Acierno is being represented by Steve Pinzino, Esq., of Manhasset. The charges against the remaining defendants are accusations and they are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.