Guilty plea in Glen Cove FD theft

A 44-year veteran of the Glen Cove Fire Department pleaded guilty Thursday to stealing nearly $200,000 from the agency's coffers, and using it to buy himself model railroad equipment and pricey cigars.

George William Gray, 68, of Hendersonville, N.C., pleaded guilty to second-degree grand larceny - the top count in a 108-count indictment, prosecutors said.

Nassau County Judge David Sullivan agreed to sentence him to 1 to 3 years in prison March 16 in exchange for his guilty plea. The court ordered Gray to repay the $196,071.20 he stole, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said Gray, who chaired the department's fund drive for about two decades before retiring in March 2009, wrote more than 300 checks out of the department's general fund to cash, to himself and to his personal credit card accounts. On more than 100 of the checks, he forged the fire department treasurer's signature, she said. The crimes occurred between May 10, 2003, and March 6, 2009, prosecutors said.

Gray's lawyer, Peter Bongiorno of Mineola, could not be reached for comment Thursday.

"Mr. Gray . . . stole money intended for the betterment of his own department," said Nassau District Attorney Kathleen Rice.

Gray worked for the City of Glen Cove for 34 years as a fire dispatcher and served as a volunteer firefighter for 44 years, Rice said.

At the time of Gray's arrest in September, Glen Cove Mayor Ralph Suozzi said he contacted prosecutors after fire department members found problems with the agency's accounts following Gray's retirement.

The case led the fire department to install procedural safeguards, the mayor said, such as requiring two signatures on checks and regular audits, he said.