Owega Man Charged with Mail Fraud

Andrew T. Baxter, United States Attorney for the Northern District of New York, announced today that Matthew C. Romano, 32, made an initial appearance in federal court in Binghamton this afternoon after being named in a 20 count indictment charging him with mail fraud. The charges relate to Romano’s claim that he was assaulted by two unknown assailants in Calvary Cemetery while working as a police officer for the Village of Johnson City on December 30, 2006. Romano, who resides in Owego, New York, appeared before Federal Magistrate Judge George H. Lowe with his attorney, Michael A. Korchak, and entered a plea of not guilty to the charges. An indictment is a mere accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

The indictment, which was returned by a federal grand jury on September 2, 2009, charges Romano with 20 counts of mail fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §1341. The indictment alleges that from on or about December 30, 2006, up to the time of the indictment, Romano devised a scheme to defraud the Village of Johnson City, the Public Employees Risk Management Association, Inc. (PERMA), and the New York State Retirement System of salary and benefits by falsely claiming that he was assaulted and injured by two unknown individuals on December 30, 2006, while working as a police officer. The indictment further alleges that no such assault took place, and that Romano inflicted the injuries upon himself. The mailings set forth in each count of the indictment are alleged to have been made or caused to have been made for the purpose of executing the scheme. If convicted, the mail fraud counts each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years with a fine of up to $250,000.

The defendant was released on conditions under the supervision of Federal Pretrial Services by Judge Lowe. The investigation of this case has been conducted by members of the Johnson City Police Department, New York State Police, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Binghamton Police Bureau, Broome County Sheriff’s Office, Endicott Police Department, Vestal Police Department, and the New York State Insurance Department Frauds Bureau. The case is being prosecuted out of the Binghamton Office by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin P. Dooley. Additional inquiries can be directed to AUSA Dooley at (607) 773-2887.

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