The leader of a Long Island Republican committee has been indicted for allegedly stealing about $60,000 from bank accounts belonging to that committee, NBC New York reports.
John Novello, the 51-year-old head of the Cedarhurst Republican Committee and Deputy Department of Buildings Commissioner for the Town of Hempstead on Long Island, surrendered to law enforcement on Thursday to face charges of grand larceny and petit larceny. He pleaded not guilty and has been released on his own recognizance. If convicted, Novello could serve 15 years in prison.
According to Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas, Novello allegedly used the committee’s money on personal expenses, including mortgage payments and Hamptons trips, from January 2016 up until last month.
Authorities allege that Novello withdrew more than $20,000 in cash from the bank account for the committee’s campaign while serving as chair of the Cedarhurst zoning board, according to the Long Island Herald, and that he stole more than $37,000 in donations to the golf tournament fundraiser the committee holds annually and from the Mayor’s Cup in the last two years.
“This defendant allegedly funded his luxurious lifestyle with contributions that donors made to support the Cedarhurst GOP and its candidates,” Singas said in a press release. “These allegations are an outrageous betrayal of trust by a public official and party leader, and my office is committed to seeking justice.”
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