Former NYPD cop charged with stealing from disabled husband

A former New York City police officer was arraigned on charges that she stole and tried to cash a check written to her husband, a disabled 9/11 survivor and former NYPD officer himself, according to court records and the defendant’s attorney.

Donna Meehan, 54, was arraigned in First District Court in Hempstead on Sunday on charges of fourth-degree grand larceny and second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, according to court documents and a criminal complaint filed by Nassau detectives. She was released on her own recognizance and is due back in court on Aug. 28.

The complaint alleges that Meehan deposited a check payable to her husband, Peter Meehan, into a Bethpage branch of Bethpage Federal Credit Union on May 3. The complaint said that the “stolen Steven Siller Tunnel to Towers Check” was for $2,500.   The Tunnel to Towers race is a 9/11-related charity.

“The defendant, through fraudulent means, presented said check, which contained fraudulent information, for deposit in her personal bank account,” the complaint said.

But David Besso, Meehan’s Bay Shore-based attorney, said the charges are false, adding that they are motivated by animosity during the couple’s pending divorce proceedings, and that his client committed no crime.

“She didn’t do anything wrong,” Besso said. “She put the check in a joint checking account. She has power of attorney for Peter and she paid his bills with the money.”