12 LI officials who stole public funds

Andrea Brosnan, the former treasurer for Old Field, was charged Wednesday with stealing more than $50,000 in village funds for personal purchases and divorce lawyer fees. If true, it would hardly be the first time a Long Island official who wielded control of public funds would take advantage of his or her position.

Here are 12 people who in the past decade were convicted of cheating taxpayers.

MICHAEL FAGEN, 2013
Former Long Beach Councilman Michael Fagen was convicted in February of petty larceny and 18 counts of offering a false instrument for filing. The conviction stemmed from his collecting more than $15,000 in unemployment benefits in 2010, while he served on the City Council.

JAMES A. WRIGHT, 2007
Former William Floyd School District treasurer James A. Wright pleaded guilty in 2007 to stealing $777,145 by writing checks to himself and falsifying information on forms to make it appear that the district spent all the money it received in government grants.

ROCCO DINAPOLI, 2007
The former William Floyd School District assistant superintendent admitted claiming on two separate occasions that he was still married so his ex-wife would be covered by his school district health insurance. He was convicted in 2007 and sentenced to five years of probation and 560 hours of community service, and repaid the $56,000 he stole from the district.

FIVE SELDEN FIRE DISTRICT COMMISSIONERS, 2007
Former Commissioners James Spatafora, Robert Santora, Joseph Callari, Jack Emr and Joseph Parente pleaded guilty in 2007 to misdemeanor larceny charges for stealing more than $50,000 in taxpayer funds. They acknowledged using district money for personal expenses -- such as alcohol and meals for non-department guests -- while attending out-of-state conferences in Las Vegas and other cities.

FRANK TASSONE, 2006
The former Roslyn School District superintendent was convicted in 2006 of stealing more than $2 million from the district, which he paid back, as part of an $11-million embezzlement scheme of school district funds.

PAMELA GLUCKIN, 2006
Gluckin, a former assistant superintendent for business at the Roslyn School District, was convicted of stealing $4.3 million as part of an $11-million embezzlement of school district funds.

DANIEL CIFONELLI, 2006
Daniel Cifonelli, former assistant superintendent for business at the William Floyd School District, pleaded guilty to state charges in 2006 of stealing $687,000 from the district.

JOHN JACKSON, 2005
Jackson, a former assistant superintendent of finance and operations at the Mineola School District, pleaded guilty to bribery and official misconduct and agreed to repay the district $28,902, which represents the cost of patio materials and a home sprinkler system and money he stole to buy sod and landscaping materials for his Commack home.