Patchogue village employee charged in theft

A woman who worked as a senior clerk for the village of Patchogue for 20 years was arraigned Friday on charges she stole nearly $193,000 from the village.

Susan M. Roach, 41, of Farmingville, is charged with four counts of second-degree forgery and one count of second-degree grand larceny for what the Suffolk district attorney's office said were 39 checks on which she forged signatures from Sept. 25, 2007, to Nov. 3, 2010.

"We have an employee who was placed in a position of trust and exploited her access to illegally benefit herself," said Patchogue Mayor Paul Pontieri Jr.

Roach, who has resigned from her position as senior account clerk, allegedly diverted money from the village's fuel account by creating phony invoices.

Roach pleaded not guilty at Friday's arraignment in First District Court in Central Islip. Her attorney, Raymond Perini of Hauppauge, said Roach was upset and embarrassed by the charges and that he is only beginning his investigation into the missing money.

Pontieri said Roach was "one of the last people we would have picked" to have committed such a crime and that to say officials feel "betrayed and angry with her theft from the village is an understatement."

There are no allegations of what Roach supposedly did with the money, but Perini said that Roach and her husband, whom he identified as a retired New York City police officer, live "a very modest life" with their two children.

"She doesn't have an extravagant lifestyle," Perini said. "She has no prior criminal record and she comes from a strong family background."

Noting the village's $10-million budget, Pontieri said of the allegedly stolen funds, "It's quite a bit of money but it's not enough to stop the wheels of our village from turning."

Pontieri said he made clear to the district attorney's office that "restitution is of the utmost importance" and that there should be "no negotiations of the public's money." Perini said that if Roach is found to be responsible, the money will be paid back.

Pontieri applauded the village treasurer's office for uncovering the alleged theft in January through an audit and said outside auditors "confirmed that the village's accounting controls and procedures are sound." But he said the alleged theft has caused the village to re-evaluate its procedures. He said the village is coming up with a plan that will be reviewed by the village board.

"There is a lesson here for anybody who works in this paperless world we have these days," he said. "Sometimes we should generate paper and we should look at it more closely."

If convicted, Roach could face 1 to 15 years in prison on the grand larceny charge and 1 to 7 years on the forgery charges. For each charge, a fine of up to $5,000 or double the amount gained from the crime also may be imposed.

Roach was released without bail. Her next court appearance is May 20.