Fire district worker charged with stealing $50,000, DA says

An Islip Terrace Fire District employee used district credit cards to pay for about $50,000 in personal expenses, the Suffolk district attorney’s office said.

Perry Rocco, 57, of Islip Terrace, used the credit cards and falsified fire district business vouchers between December 2011 and April of this year, prosecutors said.

Perry is listed as the district’s maintenance supervisor on its website.

He pleaded not guilty to a charge of third-degree grand larceny at his arraignment Monday and was released on his own recognizance, authorities said.

Rocco referred questions to his attorney, who could not be immediately reached Wednesday night.

The district’s attorney, William F. Glass Jr. of Port Jefferson, said the thefts were caught by the district shortly after it made changes to its payment processing system late last year.

“The changes involved having greater oversight of all purchases by the district’s paid staff,” Glass said. The fire district now has a certified public accountant as its treasurer and “continues to review and revamp its purchasing processes on a regular basis.”