By Hector Flores
District Attorney Denis Dillon said, "My office commenced an investigation when we received information from the superintendent of the Bellmore-Merrick School [District] that Reinhardt did not reconcile expenses incurred while attending out-of-town school conferences. During our investigation, my office discovered a previously undetected fraud in the amount of $1,423.77."
Dillon explained that Reinhardt went to New Orleans in 2003 for an educational conference. Before the trip, he accepted a cash advance from the Bellmore-Merrick Central School District, but he allegedly used a credit card from the North Bellmore School District to pay his expenses, which included airfare, hotel and car service. As a result, the North Bellmore District suffered a $1,423.77 loss.
During a North Bellmore Board of Education meeting, which took place on Sept. 8, Mary Oporto, president of the Board of Education, said that Reinhardt had reimbursed the district's credit-card expenses.
"If you recall at our Aug. 12, 2004, meeting, we informed you that Mr. Reinhardt submitted his resignation from the North Bellmore Board of Education. At that time, no reason was given by Mr. Reinhardt," Oporto said. "The [North Bellmore] Board of Education became aware of Reinhardt's alleged non-compliance with procedures in connection with reimbursement for educational conference expenses. We have investigated this matter. Our investigation resulted in a reimbursement of $1,423.77 by Reinhardt to the district. The district has reported this information to the proper authorities and now considers the matter closed."
Katie Grilli-Robles, spokeswoman for the Nassau County District Attorney's Office, said that although Reinhardt reimbursed the school district for credit-card expenses earlier this month, he still allegedly committed a crime.
"He paid back the district on September 2, 2005, for a New Orleans trip he double-billed in October of 2003," she said. "The fact is he double-billed, and that is a crime."
The Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District released the following statement after Reinhardt's arrest:
"In conducting an annual audit of its finances and financial control systems, the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District discovered discrepancies and immediately brought them to the attention of the Nassau County District Attorney's Office. We appreciate the thorough investigation taken by the Nassau County District Attorney and will continue to provide our full cooperation to them. It would be inappropriate for the district to comment further while this matter is under investigation."
In August 2004, Reinhardt stepped down from both the Central High and North Bellmore School districts after it was revealed that he had spent nearly $7,000 while attending conferences for the Central District, and had failed to turn in expense reports justifying those expenses.
An internal Central District audit showed that Reinhardt had not provided a list of expenses for annual conferences of the American Association of School Administrators dating back eight years. He did, however, supply a report for the 1999-2000 school year.
Reinhardt reimbursed the district its money, but only after he was questioned about his failure to return excess funds and provide appropriate documentation for the money that he actually spent. At the time, the district forwarded its findings to the District Attorney's Office, but no criminal charges were filed.
Reinhardt, an attorney and North Bellmore resident, was arrested and arraigned on Wednesday, Sept. 14, and charged with fourth-degree grand larceny for allegedly double-billing the North Bellmore School District. He was released on his own recognizance. Reinhardt's attorney, Steve Scaring, had no comment on the case.
Reinhardt's next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 11 in Mineola. If convicted, he could face up to four years in prison.
Comments about this story? Hflores@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 283.
