The former Deputy Commissioner of the county’s Office of Emergency Management was arraigned last Thursday on a 12-count indictment on charges related to false statements he allegedly made while applying for various Nassau County jobs, District Attorney-elect Madeline Singas announced.
Edward Korona Jr., 53, of Hicksville, was arraigned on four counts of second-degree perjury, four counts of first-degree offering a false instrument for filing, and four counts of first-degree making an apparently false sworn statement, the DA’s office said.
“The defendant — on separate occasions in December 2007, February 2010, April 2010 and June 2013 — allegedly lied about a felony conviction on sworn job applications with Nassau County,” Singas said in a statement. “Integrity in government is paramount and it is a serious offense for a high-ranking official with important responsibilities to repeatedly lie about his or her criminal history.”
During her office’s investigation into county contracts and the contract approval process, Singas said, it was discovered in September that Korona had a prior criminal conviction.
Korona, who was arrested on Oct. 15, allegedly checked off “No” to the question “Except for the above traffic offenses, have you ever been convicted of any violation, misdemeanor, or felony?” on four separate county applications between December 2007 and June 2013.
In February 1982, Newsday reported, Korona was convicted of second-degree burglary and was sentenced to spend 1 2-3 to five years in prison.
Korona, who was released from court today on his own recognizance, faces a maximum sentence of 1 1-3 to four years in prison and is due back in court on Jan. 8, the DA’s office said.
Assistant DA’s Andrew Weiss and Lauren McDonough of Singas’ Public Corruption Bureau are prosecuting the case.
Korona was represented at arraignment by Scott Banks, according to the DA’s office.
Efforts to reach Banks were unavailing.
Korona is not accused of any crimes related to county contracts, the DA’s office said.
