Former Patrolman “Cut” Down in Fraud Scheme

Lying, mail fraud, stabbing: sounds like a fantastic mob movie in the making. In the case of Matthew Romano, a former Johnson City Patrolman, however, landing the starring role in a movie is the farthest thing from the truth; landing a spot in federal prison, now that sounds more like it.

As reported by pressconnects, Romano was accused of using the U.S. Postal Service to apply for up to $90,000 in disability benefits as a police officer injured in the line of duty. The problem was not that Romano wasn’t actually injured; it was that he stabbed himself and then lied about it and said he was stabbed by two men –who were never found. Go figure.

According to the indictment, Romano was trying to obtain 75 percent of his salary, tax free with cost of living increases, for the rest of his life based upon his claim that he was no longer capable of working as a police officer as a result of the psychological
trauma resulting from the incident.

Romano has been in federal court once before; with that trial ending in an acquittal in the Broome County Court in 2008.  At that trial he was charged with one felony count of filing a false report and one misdemeanor count of falsely reporting an incident.

On Friday he was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison for 17 counts of mail fraud. Romano was also ordered to pay $91,234 in restitution to the Village of Johnson City and the Public Employees Risk Management Association, and a $1,700 special assessment.

As notified by Judge Thomas J. McAvoy, Romano is expected to report to the Bureau of Prisons on April 12^th to begin his sentence.

Romano’s attorney, Michael Korchak, has said that in the interest of justice he would appeal the jury’s decision and ask for yet another acquittal.