Former Bellmore-Merrick EMS President Sentenced to Prison For Stealing $1.6 Million From Organization: DA

A former Bellmore-Merrick EMS President who stole $1.6 million from the organization was sentenced to two to six years in prison on Wednesday, according to the Nassau County DA.

Brad Reiter, 50, of Jackson, New Jersey, was arrested by DA investigators in September 2015 and plead guilty on April 16 to first degree grand larceny, the DA said.

In addition, he reached a settlement agreement with the Bellmore-Merrick EMS.

Reiter was caught when new leadership took over the organization in January 2015 and examined past bank accounts to prepare an annual report, the DA said.

It was then that they found that the amount of money Reiter reported as receiving from insurance companies to pay for ambulance services was far less than the amount that the EMS should have been receiving, according to the DA.

The EMS was able to verify that much more money should have been deposited into the organization’s account by Reiter, and found that he had written checks to himself for which there was no explanation, the DA said.

He stole the money between March 2008 and March 2015, during which time he held the titles of treasurer and president of the volunteer organization, the DA said.

He was found to have spent the money on credit card and insurance bills, lawn services, security system services and payments to himself, according to the DA.

“EMS volunteers selflessly provide lifesaving medical care to Nassau residents every day,” DA Madeline Singas said. “As a leader of the organization, this defendant knew the importance of these critical resources to the safety and health of our communities, but outrageously, he stole more than $1.6 million from EMS coffers and selfishly used the money for personal expenses.”

Reiter was terminated by the EMS in March 2015, and the case was referred to the District Attorney’s Office for further investigation.

“Our organization was formed to serve the public in its worst times of need, not to be the honey pot for one greedy man," Michael Verbsky, Vice-President of the Bellmore-Merrick EMS Board, said during an impact statement in court. "No organization should ever have to go through what our organization has had to suffer through.”