Posted on 09/27/2005 7:24:08 AM PDT by bd476
MINEOLA, N.Y. — For years, former Roslyn schools chief Frank Tassone admitted, he stole millions of dollars in taxpayer money to finance everything from his breakfast bagel to European jaunts on the Concorde.
His next big journey on the taxpayers' dime will be to prison.
Tassone, 58, of Manhattan, pleaded guilty yesterday to first- and second-degree grand larceny in a scandal that state Comptroller Alan Hevesi has called "the largest, most remarkable, most extraordinary theft" from a school system in U.S. history.
As part of a plea bargain, Tassone will spend four to 12 years in prison and pay back an estimated $2 million. If convicted at trial, he could have faced 25 years.
As people in the courtroom booed and hissed, Tassone admitted his part in the $11.2 million embezzlement scheme, calling his crimes "mistakes," "egregious errors" and "poor judgment." But he urged the community to "remember the good I did" and forgive him.
Tassone's conviction is the first in the Roslyn criminal case. He has agreed to testify against other targets of the investigation, prosecutors said, including Stephen Signorelli, his partner of more than 30 years.
The district's former chief financial officer, Pamela Gluckin, and her niece Debra Rigano, a former business clerk, have pleaded not guilty to grand-larceny charges. Earlier this month, the district's former auditor, Andrew Miller, was charged with falsifying records.
"This is a very broad investigation," said Nassau District Attorney Denis Dillon at a news conference yesterday.
State auditors say $11.2 million was taken from Roslyn over the past decade, with more than 25 school officials, their family and friends benefiting.
The $2 million taken by Tassone paid for flights aboard the Concorde for vacations in England, cruises, hotel and resort accommodations, dermatology treatments, furniture…"
(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.nwsource.com ...
/sarcasm
NY Krupshun Ping
Lousianne topped them .. they lost 100 Million
..Their Chil'ren
I'm sure most folks who've been robbed focus on "remembering the good" the thief did for them.
OK, I've really got to ask this one - where is he going to set the two million to "pay back" with? Shouldn't they just take all his assets up to the 11 million he took? This guy should start off life out of jail pennyless.
Roslyn is a upper class district on Long Island that has a high percentage of Jewish homeowners. The taxes they are willing to pay for schooling is somewhere in the stratosphere. They do, however, expect results for their money.
I am sure this guy's salary was something I would give my eyeteeth for, and probably included a great pension. He's a fool.
They could have used this guy at Air America - they only got 800,000.
Steal 11 million, pay 2 million he gets a net 9 million out of the deal, why not steal.
They could have used this guy at Air America - they only got 800,000.
Steal 11 million, pay 2 million he gets a net 9 million out of the deal, why not steal.
But he did it for the "chilllrin." (/Joycelen)
Where does a guy like Tassone come by $2M honestly to pay back? When he gets out of the can in 4 years, they have to give him another government job so he can steal the "payback" money.
This creep must be nailed and all those operating with him.
"Records show that Tassone and a former school official withdrew the district's money from ATMs almost every day between February 2001 and October 2002, with Tassone taking out a monthly average of $21,747"
Holy Smokes! Who the heck was doing the auditing!
And I noticed that he has 'a partner of more than 30 years'. 4-12 years? Poor black teenagers in Dallas get more than that for taking a car for a joy ride.
True. Where are we getting these administrators anyway? He should serve more time just for not withdrawing more money on his daily trip to the ATM.
He even had the district's CFO help with the books.
I bet he struggled in Math class when he was a student. /tongue-in-cheek
No, he'll probably write a book, blame it on the Bush administration, etc.
Righto. He got into education because he's a selfless person, a giving person, he wants to give back to the community, he wants to be a role model for ... /NEA mantra
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