Feb. 3, 2023 A New York state trooper is accused of ticketing people without pulling them over or witnessing supposed traffic violations, officials say.
By Julia Marnin Source The Charlotte Observer (TNS) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY, New York — A New York state trooper is accused of ticketing people without pulling them over or witnessing supposed traffic violations, officials say.
Edward Longo, 34, of Yorktown, issued 32 fake traffic tickets and depositions to several people — including to someone who died before he issued them the bogus ticket, according to the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office.
Longo was arrested on Jan. 31, the office announced on Feb. 2 in a news release. State police had put him on administrative leave in November.
Now Longo is facing several charges over the tickets, including 32 felony counts of offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree and eight counts of official misconduct, which is a misdemeanor, according to officials.
McClatchy News reached out to Longo’s attorney for comment on Feb. 2 and didn’t immediately receive a response.
Across eight separate occasions between May and October 2022, Longo is accused of issuing the 32 fake tickets and supporting depositions, according to prosecutors.
In New York, a supporting deposition is a document providing further information about a traffic violation resulting in a ticket.
Longo submitted these fake tickets and depositions to his assigned state police barracks — New York State Police Troop K Hawthrone in Mount Pleasant, according to the release.
“When State Police learned of a possible falsified traffic ticket scheme by one of our members, we immediately launched a criminal investigation in collaboration with the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office that resulted in the charges filed,” a state police spokesperson told McClatchy News in a statement on Feb. 2.
“Integrity is one of our core values, and we hold our members to the highest standards.”
Longo is suspended as of Feb. 3, the spokesperson said.
Yorktown, where Longo is from, is about 45 miles north of New York City.