Nassau Village Trustee Charged In 29-Count Fraud Indictment

A Hempstead Village trustee was indicted today by a grand jury on 29 counts stemming from his alleged attempt to fraudulently get a mortgage on a home in North Carolina and his attempt to get a debt consolidation loan with forged paperwork.

Perry Pettus, 62, was arraigned on charges of second-degree attempted grand larceny, six counts of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, 12 counts of first-degree falsifying business records, third-degree attempted grand larceny, eight counts of second-degree falsifying business records and making a punishable false written statement.

Pettus pleaded not guilty. He is due back in court on Oct. 30. If convicted of the top count, he could face up to seven years in prison.

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“The public rightly expects those elected to public office to serve with honesty and integrity, and when politicians commit crimes, as is alleged in this indictment, they compromise the public’s confidence in their government,” said Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas. “This indictment charges Hempstead Village Trustee Perry Pettus with providing fake documents to banks to obtain loans for which he was not qualified, and my office will prosecute this case aggressively.”

The Nassau County District Attorney’s Office initiated an investigation into Perry Pettus – a Hempstead Village trustee, former deputy mayor and owner of Hempstead Hub Towing – in the beginning of this year after receiving credible information about an alleged bribery and extortion scheme.

According to Singas, in November of 2016, Pettus went to a TD Bank in Hempstead to apply for a mortgage in order to purchase a home in North Carolina. Singas said that Pettus submitted false pay stubs to increase his income to qualify for the loan. Pettus gave the bank a signed letter in which he claimed to be an employee of an auto collision business, Singas said, as well as submitted four false paystubs that increased his income by $4,333 a month.

Singas said that, in addition to lying for the mortgage, Pettus also tried to steal about $35,000 from Web Bank in February 2017. Pettus provided a forged W2 income tax form, Singas said, that increased his yearly income by nearly $100,000 while he was trying to get a debt consolidation loan.

This is the second set of charges brought against Pettus. In July, he was charged with bribery, larceny, conspiracy and more in connection with a scheme to extort local restaurant owners of more than $25,000, prosecutors say.

According to Singas in the July indictment, Pettus used his position and authority as a deputy mayor and trustee of Hempstead Village to solicit bribes from local restaurateurs by threatening to have summonses issued that would jeopardize the restaurants' business, cabaret and liquor licenses, which would force the restaurants out of business.

Photo courtesy Nassau County District Attorney's Office