September 1, 2005

DILLON ANNOUNCES:

SENTENCING OF FORMER FARMINGDALE MAYOR

Nassau County District Attorney Denis Dillon announced that the former Village of Farmingdale Mayor Joseph Trudden, 55, of Farmingdale was sentenced earlier today by Nassau County Court Judge Victor Ort. On April 21, 2005 Trudden pled guilty to two class E Felonies, Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree and Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree. The sentence imposed today by Judge Ort was as follows: 5 years probation on each count (with sentences to run concurrently), a $2,500 fine, therapy as directed by Probation, and restitution in the amount of $2,123.02 to the Village of Farmingdale. In addition, Trudden has made restitution to the Village of Farmingdale in the amount of $20,000 as part of a civil settlement.

Trudden was arrested by the District Attorney’s Special Investigations Bureau on January 12, 2005 for preparing and submitting false records to the New York State Comptroller’s Office during an audit they were conducting for June 2001 through May of 2003.

According to Dillon, "During an audit of the Village of Farmingdale by the New York State Comptroller’s Office in July of 2003, Trudden prepared and submitted false documents regarding lunch and dinner meetings with various public officials and community leaders. In order to justify credit card bills for meals and drinks at local restaurants paid for using a Village credit card he claimed falsely that these expenditures were part of Village business. Trudden claimed that the meetings with public officials and community leaders were to discuss issues of public interest. After investigating our office discovered that many of these meetings never took place with the public officials and community leaders."

"I would like to thank the office of the New York State Comptroller Alan Hevesi, Deputy Comptroller Robert Brackman and Chief Investigative Counsel Samantha Biletsky for their assistance and cooperation during this investigation," Dillon concluded.