New York State Inspector General Catherine Leahy Scott announced the arrest of a New York State Department of Transportation Highway Maintenance worker on charges he stole gasoline from a stateowned facility in Utica.
William Gallagher, 42, of East Herkimer allegedly used a state card to purchase gasoline for his own personal use. He is charged with six counts of Offering a False Instrument for Filing, class E felonies, and six counts of misdemeanor Petit Larceny. If convicted he faces up to three years for each felony and one year for each misdemeanor.
“State employees entrusted with the use of state-owned credit cards must understand that theft of public resources will not be tolerated,” said Inspector General Scott. “What occurred here was an unacceptable breach of the public trust that has real consequences. My office stands ready to assist Oneida County District Attorney McNamara as his office moves forward with the prosecution of this case.”
Surveillance cameras found Gallagher filling the tank of his personal vehicle on five occasions and a gasoline container on one occasion between January and March of 2013. Gallagher admitted to the Inspector General’s investigators that he took the gasoline, entering false odometer data into the fuel pump in order to activate it.
Gallagher was arrested and arraigned today at Utica City Court before the Hon. John S. Balzano. He is set to return to court on October 13.
Gallagher was first employed by NYSDOT in September 1999.
Inspector General Scott thanked the New York State Police for their assistance in the investigation, and District Attorney Scott D. McNamara for prosecuting this case.
The Defendant is considered innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.
