By KIMBERLY ACEVEDO
After striking a deal with Nassau District Attorney Denis Dillon in May, Anderson pled guilty to two misdemeanors, while the felony charge offering a false instrument for filing was dropped.
Officials alleged that Anderson defrauded Nassau County and some school districts of $19,084.
In an interview with The Herald, Anderson who had not spoken publicly since the charges emerged railed against the system, the charges, and some media outlets that she said continue to falsely report her plea.
Anderson said she pled guilty to reducing the assessed valuation of residential property owned by Paul and Joanne Fisher without authority. She also pled guilty to engaging in a systematic ongoing course of conduct in which she reduced the assessed valuation of residential properties which resulted in a loss to Nassau County and other tax authorities of tax-ready income during January 2000 to June 2001.
I pled a misdemeanor based on her [Fisher's]
testimony, Anderson said. But, she said, Dillon wanted her to also plead guilty to the second misdemeanor of scheming to defraud in order for the felony charge to be dropped.
I had no scheme, Anderson said. There is no
money-making scheme here...Nothing I did went in my pocket.
Still, after spending $20,000 in legal fees, Anderson
said it was too expensive to fight on. She didn't have an additional $90,000 and a year of her life to fight the charges. Her only way out, she added, was to make the plea.
Earlier, County Court Judge Richard LaPera said Anderson, the former vice-chairperson of the Nassau County Independence Party, would face a no jail commitment based upon a good probation report.
Meanwhile, with her name thrown into the headlines, Anderson said humiliation has kept her from her former daily life. She has completely stepped out of politics, she added.
Loss of face is painful and, in my heart of hearts, I thought I was doing the job well, Anderson said. And if it turns out that I suck at appraisals, well the lack of training is the reason for it.
Anderson charged that the assessment review
process is confusing and difficult for the residents. And
for the commissioners, she said there are no rules or regulations set, which she believes makes the job difficult.
While Anderson has taken classes on real estate, she said she had never had formalized training on how to do an evaluation of a property. Most of the commissioners, she believes, hadn't received the training either.
If I didn't value a property correctly it's not from an attempt to steal, Anderson said. It was an attempt at reducing well.
In a place where there were no written rules combined with a completely under-staffed and under-trained office, things were difficult, Anderson said.
We can't comment on Mrs. Anderson's training or
her previous experience, a spokesperson for the Nassau County administration said. Anderson was suspended during the previous county administration, he added.
When the Tom Suozzi administration took over this January, the spokesperson said, they identified what we felt to be systematic problems with the Assessment Review Commission.
One concern in the County Executive's office was that the Assessment Review Commission was seen as poorly managed and did not have the guidelines to do it's job properly.
Now, the County has passed legislation that would administer new guidelines and stricter oversights in order to prevent things like this from happening in the future, the spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, Anderson admitted that she gave a reduction to Nassau Independence Party chairman James Kapsis. While she considered it lousy judgment on her part, she said, Then again, there were no conflict of interest laws during her time in office.
And, she said, of the 1,500 to 2,000 reductions she processed, they found nine files in question.
I processed more tax reductions by myself than
most of the entire commission put together, she added. With the most files processed, there is always a margin
of error. But, she said, while she encouraged everyone to file, it didn't mean that she was going to give them a reduction.
Though she's given up on politics, Anderson said that she will remain a citizen activist, as she has always been. Committing to the community of Long Beach is high on her priority list, she added. While she backed away from community service during the investigation and trial, she believes she has a lot to offer.
My level of community service in Long Beach has been huge, Anderson said. And the only reason that I backed away from local service is from humiliation. I backed away from the light...the community will see me serve it again.
Her community efforts have contributed to the
creation of the dog walk at Nassau Beach, the shutting down of the Long Beach incinerator in 1993, and the creation of a skate park in Long Beach. Anderson said she will continue her role as a literacy volunteer for children and adults. During her off-hours as a licensed massage therapist, Anderson said she teaches English to adults.
But as for politics...
I've been neutralized. I'm out of politics because any time I'm going to attempt to raise my head, these news stories will bury me.
