East Meadow Man Indicted In Fire Alarm Contract Scheme: Prosecutors

BROOKLYN, NY — An indictment was unsealed on Thursday charging an East Meadow man, and another man, with wire fraud conspiracy for systematically defrauding the City of New York, the US Attorney's office said.

Walter Stanzione, 65, is charged with overbilling New York City agencies for more than a decade in connection to contracts to repair and maintain fire alarm systems, prosecutors announced.

William Neogra, 63, of Delaware, was also charged in the indictment.

"As alleged in the indictment, the defendants were hired to make sure that the fire alarm systems in hundreds of New York City buildings functioned safely and effectively," stated Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District. 'The defendants took this as an opportunity to steal and defraud, abusing and betraying their obligations. This indictment demonstrates our Office’s commitment to holding accountable government contractors who fleece city agencies and taxpayers."

According to the indictment, Stanzione and Neogra exercised control over Fire Alarm Electrical Corp. For more than a decade, Fire Alarm Electrical Corp. overbilled city agencies by submitting fraudulent invoices with dramatically inflated prices, including invoices that purported to be from legitimate retailers, which the defendants had altered and modified, Peace said.

"Doing business with the city is a privilege Neogra and Stanzione allegedly abused for over a decade. Their alleged crimes milked the city of valuable resources," FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge James Smith. "They got used to getting paid more for less, but today it caught up to them.”

If convicted, the defendants face maximum sentences of 20 years in prison, the US Attorney's office said.