State DOT Worker Accused Of Swiping $3,800 Worth Of Metal: Prosecutors

MINEOLA, NY — A state Department of Transportation employee from Oceanside was arraigned on Monday stemming from stealing more than $3,800 worth of scrap metal and selling it to a recycling business, prosecutors announced.

Anthony Agornyo, 52, faces charges of grand larceny and criminal possession of a stolen property. He is due back in court on July 17.

Agornyo pleaded not guilty and was released on his own recognizance.

"This defendant, entrusted with access to state property and equipment through his position with NYSDOT, allegedly stole dozens of pieces of scrap equipment from an agency yard in Suffolk County and hauled it back across the county line in an official state vehicle to sell it," said Nassau County DA Anne Donnelly. "Agornyo allegedly held himself out as being on the job for NYSDOT when he sold the scrap metal at a Freeport recycling business for cash."

Between April 2022 and June 2023, Agornyo, a NYSDOT traffic services technician, according to the charges, allegedly used an agency truck on more than 10 separate occasions, to steal the scrap metal from a NYSDOT yard in Hauppauge.

Much of the stolen scrap metal was marked with words or numbers indicating it was NYSDOT property. Traffic light poles were among the items stolen by Agornyo, the DA's office said.

If convicted, he faces up to 2-1/3 to seven years in prison.