Crime Watch

N.J. man admits to stealing $1.6M from Bellmore-Merrick EMS

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A New Jersey man has pleaded guilty to stealing roughly $1.6 million from the Bellmore-Merrick Emergency Services, for which he served as treasurer and president at various times during what turned out to be a seven-year scheme to defraud the volunteer unit, according to Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas.

Brad Reiter, 50, of Jackson, N.J., was arrested and charged with the theft last Sept. 29, Singas said. Andy Kraus, a Bellmore-Merrick EMS spokesman, said Reiter lived for a time on Long Island before moving to Jackson. He did not know when. Bellmore-Merrick EMS members are not required to be residents, Kraus added.

District attorney investigators arrested Reiter last September. He pleaded guilty to first-degree grand larceny on April 6 and faces a minimum of two years in prison and a maximum of six when Acting Supreme Court Justice Jerald Carter sentences him on June 29.

Reiter has also reached a restitution settlement agreement with the Bellmore-Merrick EMS, to be enforced civilly.

“This defendant admitted to stealing more than $1 million from a volunteer and donor-based organization responsible for delivering life-saving care to thousands of Long Islanders,” Singas said. “He will pay for his scheme when he’s sentenced this summer and pays restitution to the EMS. I’m grateful to the EMS leaders who brought this case to my office so that we could hold the defendant accountable and help bring justice to the organization and its members.”

The theft began in March 2008 and continued through March last year, Singas said in an earlier news release. Once discovered by Bellmore-Merrick EMS members, it was immediately reported to the D.A.’s office, according to Singas and an EMS unit statement. Reiter was expelled from the company in March 2015.

According to Singas, Reiter spent the money on credit card and insurance bills, lawn and security services, and payments to himself.

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