Brookhaven officials accused of misusing town funds

The program director for Brookhaven Town senior citizens department was arrested Thursday on charges she illegally possessed snowblowers purchased with county grant money and bought books with town money meant to buy literature for the senior program.

Her lawyer called the charges "politically motivated."

Donna Bonacci, 63, of Lake Grove, was arraigned in Central Islip and pleaded not guilty to first-degree filing a false instrument, a felony, for allegedly changing the names of the books on purchase forms, and fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, a misdemeanor.

"We vehemently deny all the allegations made by the prosecutor," said Bonacci's attorney, Jonathan Juliano of East Northport. "We believe they are politically motivated." Juliano said he wouldn't comment further until he could investigate the charges. Bonacci is a registered Conservative Party member, according to public records.

Brookhaven Supervisor Mark Lesko, a Democrat, said he was unaware of Bonacci's party affiliation, adding that had nothing to do with the investigation.

"This should send a message that the Town of Brookhaven will have no tolerance for this type of behavior," he said. When it comes to using taxpayer funds for personal use, "The amount is immaterial," he said, adding, "The town will not stand for any employee who betrays the trust of the public."

Bonacci was released on her own recognizance. She is due back in court on Jan. 7.

Bonacci was suspended without pay immediately by the town, which plans to start formal disciplinary proceedings against her. Bonacci was hired in 1983 and has been in her current position since 1989. The position is appointed by the supervisor, but candidates must be on a civil service list, a town spokesman said.

Among the books allegedly purchased by Bonacci were "The Christmas Sweater" by Glenn Beck and "Lincoln" by Gore Vidal, as well as a Suzanne Somers book, according to the district attorney's office.

After receiving tips, the town conducted an investigation and then referred the matter to the district attorney, Lesko said.

A spokesman for the district attorney's office said Bonacci is accused of whiting out titles of books she purchased and changing them to names of books on Alzheimer's and aging. Because the ISBN numbers weren't changed, the investigators were able to track down the names of the books purchased.

Two Touro snowblowers, purchased with a county grant in 2000, were found at Bonacci's home, according to prosecutor Mark Murray.