Police Officer Accused Of Striking Man With Taser, Then Falsifying Records To Cover It Up

A Rockville Centre village police officer was indicted on Wednesday on charges that he struck a man in the head with a taser during an investigation last year and then falsified police reports to cover it up.

Anthony Federico, 36, was arraigned on charges of second- and third-degree assault, two counts of second-degree offering false instrument for filing and two counts of second-degree falsifying business records. He was released on his own recognizance and is due back in court on April 19. If convicted of the top count, he faces up to seven years in prison.

“The defendant is accused of beating the victim with a taser gun, causing a severe laceration to his head and falsifying police paperwork after the incident,” Nassau District Attorney Madeline Singas said. “Accusations of police misconduct are treated very seriously by this office, and we carefully interview witnesses and examine the evidence when an allegation is made. It is our obligation as prosecutors to follow the evidence where it takes us. In this matter, the facts were presented to a Nassau County grand jury and it returned an indictment.”

According to Singas, on May 8, 2016, at approximately 2:45 a.m., Federico was involved in an investigation of an assault between two groups of young adults that had just taken place on South Park Avenue, near Merrick Road, in the Village of Rockville Centre. Singas said that the 25-year-old victim of the assault was being helped off the ground by his younger brother – who was also allegedly involved in the fight – when the officer tried to gather information from them.

A physical confrontation between the brothers and Federico ensued and resulted in Federico discharging his taser several times, Singas said. At one point during the incident, Federico allegedly struck the older brother on the top of his head with his taser, causing a 6-centimeter gash requiring sutures and staples to close. Federico is also alleged to have falsified information in official police documents concerning the events.

"We are confident that as this case unfolds and the full facts come out and are developed in court that Officer Federico will be exonerated in the end,” Federico's defense attorney, William Petrillo, told Newsday.

Federico is a veteran police officer. He joined the RVCPD in 2013 after serving in the NYPD since 2005, according to the Rockville Centre Herald. He has a degree in criminal justice from John Jay College.

Photo: Nassau County District Attorney's Office