Nocianie Joseph, Travis Troiano charged with submitting false paperwork to satisfy DWI plea deal

A Hempstead woman submitted false paperwork to law enforcement saying she had completed community service to satisfy a plea agreement, the Nassau County District Attorney's Office said in a release Tuesday.

Nocianie Joseph, 33, and Travis Troiano, 33, of Westbury, an employee of the Yes We Can Community Center in North Hempstead, were both charged with second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument; first-degree offering a false instrument for filing; and official misconduct, according to a release from Nassau District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly.

Joseph was arraigned on May 12 and Troiano was arraigned Tuesday.

“This indictment sends a strong message that NCDA will rigorously follow up on the satisfaction of plea conditions and take action against those who would deceitfully violate the terms of those good faith agreements,” said Donnelly.

Joseph was arrested May 17, 2022, for misdemeanor drunken driving, prosecutors said. Because she was a first-time offender, the district attorney's office offered her a plea deal in which she would perform 35 hours of community service.

Joseph was required to plead guilty to the top count and complete several conditions within four months, including the community service. If she successfully completed them, she would be able to vacate her plea and enter a plea to a lesser charge.

Instead, prosecutors said, on Nov. 20, 2022, Travis Troiano, who is a friend of Joseph, "drafted and signed a fraudulent letter stating that Joseph had successfully completed the community service at the Yes We Can Center," the news release said. The form was submitted to the district attorney's office and Joseph's attorney.

The district attorney's office discovered, through their own investigation to verify the service, that Joseph had not completed it and that Troiano's letter was false. The office also said Troiano did not have authority to send such a letter.

Joseph was sentenced on the misdemeanor driving while intoxicated charge in February, "after failing the contract," with prosecutors. She was sentenced to 60 days incarceration and 3 years’ probation.

Both defendants are due back in court on June 14.