The superintendent of a Long Island school district has been relieved of his duties after officials uncovered information that made him and another employee suspects in a growing fraud scandal involving an estimated $7 million in missing school funds.
Frank Tassone was “administratively reassigned to his home” with pay, said Roslyn School Board president Bill Costigan yesterday at a press conference at Roslyn HS attended by the press and irate parents.
“An investigation of his conduct and the performance of his duties will commence immediately,” said Costigan. The parents applauded the move.
The announcement came after officials discovered that a firm called WordPower – whose address is Tassone’s East 88th Street address on the Upper East Side – had suspiciously received hundreds of thousands of dollars of school funds for years.
Tassone’s colleague, superintendent for business Pamela Gluckin, was arrested this week and charged with ripping off more than $1 million from the district.
She used the stolen money to buy three waterfront homes, in Bellmore, Westhampton Beach and in Florida, as well as new luxury cars and five Jet Skis, authorities said.
Gluckin’s niece, Deborah Rigano, a clerical employee of the district, was also reassigned yesterday and is under suspicion.
The evidence against them was turned over to the Nassau County DA’s Office, said Costigan. Neither Rigano nor Tassone could be reached for comment.
Angry parents had accused officials, including Tassone, of an attempted cover-up of the gigantic fraud scheme, which was unveiled after anonymous letters were sent to the school board, the DA and others.
Sources said those involved in the scam are suspected of shredding boxes of financial records.