September 26, 2005

DILLON ANNOUNCES:

FORMER ROSLYN SCHOOL DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT PLEADS GUILTY

Nassau County District Attorney Denis Dillon announced today that the former Superintendent of the Roslyn School District Frank Tassone, 58, of 160 E 88th Street, Manhattan, pled guilty to two top count Grand Larceny charges in front of Nassau County Court Judge Alan Honorof.

According to Dillon, "On February 11, 2004 my office opened an investigation into the Roslyn School District. During the summer of 2004, New York State Comptroller Alan Hevesi conducted an audit of the Roslyn School District, which revealed $11.2 Million that was unaccounted for by the District. This audit supplemented our criminal investigation, which had begun six months earlier. Our criminal investigation, has so far identified $7.2 Million that we have charged criminally. Of the $7.2 Million, we have identified Tassone to be criminally responsible for approximately $2 Million, which was spent on airline travel, cruises, hotel and resort accommodations, dermatology treatments, furniture, jewelry and meals."

"On June 8th, 2005, I announced that a Grand Jury had indicted Tassone," said Dillon. "There were two separate indictments. The first indictment covered the theft of over $1 Million from the District, where he was charged with Grand Larceny in the First Degree, a Class B Felony. Tassone pled guilty to this charge earlier today. The second indictment stemmed from the arrangement he had made with Stephen Signorelli, 60, of 160 E. 88th Street, Manhattan. Signorelli, principal of WordPower (WP), which prepared and printed handbooks for the School District, padded invoices with the assistance of Tassone. From 1999 to 2004, the total payments by the Roslyn School District to WP were approximately $572,000. From January of 1999 until mid October 2002, approximately $219,000 was transferred by Signorelli from the WP account to Tassone. For this crime, Tassone has pled guilty to the top count of that Grand Jury Indictment which was Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, a Class C Felony."

"At a conference this summer, post Grand Jury Indictment, Nassau County Court Judge Alan Honorof gave Tassone and his counsel a commitment of no more than 4-12 years incarceration if he pled guilty," said Dillon. "This commitment also meant that Tassone would not have to cooperate with my office. At that point we pulled the offer off of the table and told Tassone’s counsel that he would have to plead to the entire indictment and we would still recommend the maximum time of incarceration. Thereafter, we received a call from Tassone’s counsel that he was willing to cooperate with our office. With Tassone’s cooperation, we have been able to arrest and indict Andrew Miller, the former auditor of the Roslyn School District and we do anticipate additional arrests of other people associated with the Roslyn School District Scandal. The arrest and indictment of Miller, may lead to information on the 50 or more school districts that he audited across Long Island."

"Tassone’s guilty plea today is contingent on his full cooperation with our office during the course of this investigation," said Dillon. "If he complies with this agreement, we will recommend the 4-12 year sentence. Tassone has also agreed to make restitution to the Roslyn School District of up to $2 Million. In addition, Tassone has waived his right to appeal."

"As the District Attorney it is my job to get to the bottom of the school scandals," said Dillon. "I believe this disposition will aid me in fulfilling that responsibility. The Judge had already given a commitment of no more than 4-12 years in prison without cooperation. Through the efforts of my office we achieved the conviction of two top count Grand Larceny charges, with a prison sentence of up to 12 years, a waiver of any right to appeal, the defendant’s cooperation against all other targets, and the return of $2 Million to the Roslyn community, which represents virtually all the money Tassone stole."

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