NYPD officer charged with grand larceny, officials say

An NYPD police officer was arrested Wednesday on grand larceny and other charges stemming from his unauthorized purchase of thousands of dollars of equipment with department funds, officials said Thursday.

Edward Rosovich, 35, of Queens, was charged late Wednesday with grand larceny in the third degree, offering a false instrument for filing and official misconduct, a spokeswoman for the Queens District Attorney’s Office said.

According to a complaint unsealed in Queens criminal court, Rosovich, who is assigned to the NYPD highway division as budget and procurement officer, used a department-issued credit card to add expensive lights, sirens and other items valued at $9,000 to his personal vehicle. The complaint also charged that Rosovich purchased six Motorola two-way business radios. None of the purchases were authorized by Rosovich’s superiors, prosecutors charged.

The purchases were made between September 2016 and October 2017, the complaint stated. Officials said that Rosovich was arraigned before Queens Criminal Court Judge Karen Gopee on Wednesday and released on his own recognizance. Defense attorney Stuart London didn’t return a telephone call for comment.

In a statement, District Attorney Richard Brown said that at the time of his arrest Rosovich admitted purchasing a satellite telephone with the credit card but said he intended to reimburse the NYPD.

An NYPD spokesman said the case developed after the Internal Affairs Bureau received a tip from a confidential informant.

Officials said Rosovich was involved in a crash on Long Island late on May 23, 2016, when an SUV he was driving collided with a BMW which had been disabled on the LIE near Exit 40. According police, the collision killed a 20-year-old man from Queens and an 18-year-old upstate woman who were passengers in the BMW. Rosovich was not charged in the accident.

By Anthony M. DeStefano

tony.destefano@newsday.comtonynewsday

Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.