Posted on 09/26/2005 9:27:48 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
MINEOLA, N.Y. - A former superintendent of one of the nation's top school districts pleaded guilty Monday to grand larceny for embezzling millions of taxpayer dollars to finance his lavish lifestyle, including European jaunts on the supersonic Concorde.
Frank Tassone, 58, who was booed by about 50 residents as he entered the courtroom, pleaded guilty to first- and second-degree grand larceny.
As part of a plea deal, the former head of Long Island's Roslyn School District will be sentenced to four to 12 years in prison and pay back about $2 million. If convicted at trial, he could have faced a 25-year sentence. Sentencing is set for Nov. 29.
"I will make restitution to the Roslyn schools and I am sorry for my poor judgment," Tassone said in court, speaking barely above a whisper.
His detractors in the courtroom, including former school board president William Costigan, said they were dissatisfied with the penalty. However, Costigan said he was glad to see Tassone "admit in open court that his actions had caused pain and suffering to the Roslyn community."
State Comptroller Alan Hevesi called the embezzlement the "most extraordinary theft" from a school system "in American history."
An audit by Hevesi earlier this year found that $11.2 million had been pilfered from the district between 1996 and 2004. So far, prosecutors have charged four people with stealing nearly $7 million. An auditor accused of helping to cover up the theft also was charged.
Prosecutors said Tassone used some of the money for flights aboard the Concorde for vacations in England. They said the defendants also used the money for such things as mortgage payments for homes in Florida, the Hamptons and Pennsylvania and even for their dry cleaning and cable TV bills.
Roslyn, 20 miles from Manhattan, is one of Long Island's most prestigious school districts. Roslyn High sends 95 percent of its graduates to college and its SAT scores are among the best in the nation.
More money, we need more money to make the school systems better...they cry of the liberals
Wonder what Pughsley would plead, if anyone could be bothered to investigate?
Tassone after his July 6 arrest.
To the Harvard-obsessed parents of Roslyn, New York, Frank Tassone appeared to be the ideal schools chief. Then $8 million went missing, Tassone became a prime suspect, and the details of his secret double life began to emerge.
By Robert Kolker / NY Metro
I am on Long Island and believe me this is not isolated.
Our school taxes are perhaps the highest nationwide.
Plenty ripe for stealing.
If only the homeowners would take this matter seriously we may actually get some quality education for a change.
He believes in the saying, "If you're going to steal, steal big."
A former superintendent of one of the nation's top school districts pleaded guilty Monday to grand larceny for embezzling millions of taxpayer dollars to finance his lavish lifestyle, including European jaunts on the supersonic Concorde.
As the scandal unfolded, details of Tassone’s private life became public. In April, he reportedly closed on a house in the Las Vegas suburbs with Jason Daugherty, a onetime motorcycle salesman and exotic dancer, who, it turns out, employees remember visited the office a few times. A clerk in the district, Phyllis Zampino, recognizes Daugherty’s name as the recipient of FedEx packages Tassone sent every week from the district for the past year—since about the time Gluckin was forced to retire. No one in the office seems to know what was in those packages. Between Daugherty and Signorelli, Roslyn had plenty to dish about over the summer. If the implication is that Tassone is gay, many Roslynites now claim they suspected as much all along; they just never said so. “This is a very socially advanced community, very liberal,” one of Tassone’s old employees says. “It’s like it wouldn’t have been cool even to bring it up.” Neither Daugherty nor Signorelli has commented on their sexuality, or anything else.
Can I say it? New York is just weird.
Is Pughsley corrupt or legally greedy?
Ineffective, ignorant, self serving.
Sounds more like a Louisiana Democrat....I think there will be some job openings for him in the near future!
Bill Buckner missing a ground ball was poor judgement. This was theft.
"This is a very socially advanced community, very liberal"
If they try that nosense in my hood in Woodlawn foggettaboutit.
across the board, the long island school districts are some of the most well funded - and most corrupt - in the country. but even with that, the soccer moms and dads support them because "its for the children". there ought to be RICO style investgations of every single school district here, but no politician from either party will touch it.
All of this happened in a vacuum, no one had an inkling of wrong doing????
you are correct - not only is it not isolated, I imagine that this is the norm. perhaps not to this level, but in every district, this is going on to some extent.
neither political party will say a word about the schools, school taxes and corruption.
no one investigates it, unless something is "discovered", they succeed in the theft.
Funny, back in the 1980s, it was well known that the Valley Stream Public Schools (we lived in Malverne, but were zoned for that greasy hellhole) were less than mediocre, although my dad still had to pay among the highest property taxes in the nation. Our Principal had a huge house on the water in Cold Spring Harbor and half the school board didn't even live in the district. Is it any wonder why I will NEVER return to Nassau County?
New York Republicans, especially Long Island Republicans, are more liberal than Louisiana Democrats.
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