Nassau DA: Former Probation Officer Indicted for Falsifying Records to Conceal Relationship with Probationer
Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced that a former Nassau County Probation Officer was indicted on charges of offering a false instrument for filing, falsifying business records, and official misconduct for allegedly initiating a sexual relationship with a probationer he supervised, giving her money, gifts, and co-signing a car loan, and falsifying records to cover up the improper relationship.
Matthew Albertson, 42, of Smithtown, was arraigned before Judge Robert Bogle on nine counts of Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree (an E felony); nine counts of Falsifying Business Records in the Second Degree (an A misdemeanor); and seven counts of Official Misconduct (an A misdemeanor). The defendant pleaded not guilty and was released on his own recognizance. He is due back in court on November 6, 2024. If convicted, the defendant faces up to a maximum of 1-1/3 to four years in prison.
“Probation Officers are in a position of great trust, assisting people with criminal justice involvements to restart their lives and avoid reoffending. This defendant allegedly exploited his power and compromised his sworn duties by pursuing and engaging in an inappropriate sexual relationship with a probationer that he was supervising,” said DA Donnelly. “Albertson’s alleged actions flew in the face of the Nassau County Probation Department’s rules and failed the probationer he should have been lawfully and ethically supporting through this process.”
DA Donnelly said that in August 2023 an attorney for the female probationer reported to county authorities that the defendant, a Nassau County Probation Officer, had engaged in a sexual relationship with the woman while she was under his supervision. The attorney provided screenshots of text messages and other supporting documentation alleging that the relationship began in approximately November 2021 and continued through at least March 2022.
NCDA opened an investigation into the allegations.
The investigation revealed that on nine separate occasions between January 2022 and August 2023 Albertson allegedly falsified case notes regarding drug tests, office visits, and home visits concerning the probationer.
The defendant allegedly made entries stating that the probationer was drug tested at her home and at the Nassau County Probation Department (“Probation”), however the evidence revealed that no one from Probation administered a drug test to her while she was being supervised by the defendant.
Albertson also allegedly made entries that a phone call check-in, home visits, and office visits were made on specific dates. Phone records, text messages between the defendant and probationer, and other evidence showed that these check-ins did not occur.
Further, the investigation showed that between December 2021 through March 2022, while supervising the probationer, the defendant allegedly engaged in a sexual relationship with the woman, including during a home visit, in violation of written Probation rules that prohibit intimate relationships between officers and their probationers.
Records also show that on January 14, 2024, the defendant allegedly entered into a vehicle purchase contract and financial loan obligation with the probationer’s family member to purchase a car for the probationer in another violation of agency rules.
From December 22, 2021, through and including February 13, 2022, the defendant also allegedly gave the probationer money on 18 separate dates, totaling $8,000, for a car rental, manicures, food, and other expenses.
In addition, on February 12, 2022, Albertson’s probationer told him through text messages that she feared she was suffering from a fentanyl overdose. Albertson allegedly told the woman to stay awake, wake up her mother, and eat sugar, but did not seek medical assistance or emergency services for her.
After the incident, the defendant allegedly failed to report any drug use to Probation, and later filed a case note reporting that the probationer stated she was doing well.
The defendant surrendered to NCDA Detective Investigators today.
If you believe that you or someone you know may have been victimized by Matthew Albertson, please contact NCDA’s Public Corruption Bureau at 516-571-0192.
The case is being prosecuted by Senior Investigative Counsel Heather Kalachman of the Public Corruption Bureau under the supervision of Bureau Chief Kristen Fexas and the overall supervision of the Executive Assistant District Attorney for the Investigations Division Rick Whelan. The defendant is represented by Lloyd Nadel, Esq.
The charges are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty.