January 28, 2008

Plainview Man Charged with Fleecing Little League

Rice says Green stole more than $38k from Little League

MINEOLA, NY – Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice announced this morning that her office has filed charges against a former Plainview little league official who has been the subject of a four-month investigation into the embezzlement of more than $38,000 from the little league.  Early Monday morning, District Attorney Investigators arrested Joe Green, 55, of Plainview, and charged him with Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree, and ten counts of Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree. 

Rice said that between November 1, 2005, and July 17, 2007, the defendant, in his capacity as the uniform and equipment director of the Plainview Baseball Association, stole $38,160.29 from the Association by stealing blank invoices from Port Jefferson Sporting Goods and filling them out with fictitious equipment orders that were allegedly being placed by the Association.  Rice said that on ten different occasions the defendant submitted the bogus invoices and that he would cash the little league’s reimbursement checks and deposit the funds directly into his personal bank account.  The Little League never received the equipment they believed that they were purchasing.

In the fall of last year, little league officials who became aware of the financial discrepancy within the Association, confronted Mr. Green and forced him step down from his volunteer position.  In October of last year, the allegation was referred to the District Attorney’s Office for criminal investigation.

Rice said that Mr. Green spent the money on normal household items, in addition to several thousand dollars in college expenses.

Mr. Green faces a maximum of seven years in prison if convicted of the charges.  He is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges Monday in First District Court, Hempstead.

Assistant District Attorney Megan Gallagher and Bureau Chief of the DA’s Government & Consumer Frauds Bureau, Robert Emmons, are handling the case for the District Attorney’s Office.  Mr. Green is being represented by David Lazer, Esq., of Melville.