Community College Worker Arrested

Rice says Singleton ditched one name, assumed another and has driven a vehicle for the county for more than 10 years, evading tickets and a violent felony conviction

MINEOLA, NY - Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice announced today that Reginald L. Singleton, 41, was arrested and charged with three counts of Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree, a Class E Felony, three counts of Making a Punishable  False Written Statement, a Class A Misdemeanor, and countless other moving violations.  Mr. Singleton was arrested the Nassau District Attorney’s Squad Detectives this afternoon while driving a county-issued pick-up truck.

Mr. Singleton has been a laborer for Nassau Community College since June of 1986, and was an applicant for ‘automotive mechanic aide’ since January of this year.  In performing the investigation required to process the application, a civil service investigator came across two driving records in his name, one for a valid commercial license, and one that was revoked and showed no license existed.  During his service with the college, the defendant’s duties have included driving vehicles on the school’s campus while doing general maintenance on the grounds, removing snow, and working on other manual projects.

Nassau County Civil Service Commission contacted the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (NYSDMV) and both agencies conducted a joint investigation of the records before referring the case to the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office for further investigation and prosecution.

Records revealed that the defendant failed to apply for a driver’s license between 1982 and 1995, despite extensive records indicating he was driving during the period.  Because of the numerous moving violations Mr. Singleton incurred as an unlicensed driver, a record was created in his name with the DMV.  In each of the stops of Mr. Singleton’s automobile, he gave his name as Reginald L. Singleton of 110 Ellison Avenue, Roosevelt, NY, with a date of birth of December 12, 1964.  All of these violations and suspensions are still outstanding due to a failure to answer or failure to pay a fine.

In 1995, the defendant applied for a commercial driver’s license as Reggie C. Singleton with a date of birth of December 14, 1964.  He was issued a number of violations including having an unregistered motor vehicle, failure to obey a traffic device, operating without a license and a failure to report an accident, all of which he responded to or paid the fine.

In 2003, Mr. Singleton changed the address on his license indicating that his driver’s license had never been suspended or revoked.  In January, 2005, Mr. Singleton again renewed his driver’s license indicating that it was never suspended or revoked.

In January, 2006, the defendant filed an application with the Nassau County Civil Service for the position of automotive mechanic aide.  It was during the course of investigating Mr. Singleton’s driving background that the NCCSC and the NYSDMV came across the defendant’s significant history of motor vehicle violations and his two records for driving under slightly different names and birth dates.

Upon the arresting the defendant, the district attorney’s office also learned that Mr. Singleton had six prior arrests or citations, including a 1986 conviction for Robbery in the Second Degree.  Mr. Singleton routinely answered “no” when asked if he’d ever been convicted of any violation, misdemeanor, or felony offense.  

The defendant will be arraigned today in First District Court, Hempstead.  ADA Brian Heid of the Technology Crimes Unit within the District Attorney’s Electronic Crimes Bureau will be handling the case.

District Attorney Rice would like to thank the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles and the Nassau County Civil Service Commission for their involvement in the investigation.

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

Name: Reginald L. Singleton
Age: 41
Address: 41 Dutchess Street, Roosevelt, NY
Charges: Offering a False Instrument for Filing 1° (3 counts), Making a Punishable False Written Statement, (3 counts), and VTL Violations