CUTCHOGUE, NY — A Cutchogue volunteer firefighter was charged with falsifying public records and official misconduct Wednesday, Suffolk County Prosecutor Ray Tierney said.
James P. Burns, 27, was arrested Wednesday and charged with first-degree tampering with public records, a Class D felony, and official misconduct, a misdemeanor, Tierney said.
Burns is accused of making 96 false entries in the Cutchogue Fire Department's electronic records, giving himself and family members credit for emergency calls they didn't actually attend to, Tierney said.
On Sept. 30, 2023, Burns responded to the Cutchogue Fire Department for an emergency call, the DA said. While at the firehouse, Burns allegedly accessed an internal computer system he was not authorized to use and made 96 changes to the records of 55 previous emergency calls, Tierney said.
By doing so, Burns gave himself and three family members credit for being involved in previous emergency calls they weren't actually involved in, Tierney said. The false entries provided credits in the Longtime Service Award Program, or LOSAP, to one of Burns' family members that that family member allegedly did not earn — thus providing potential future fraudulent monetary benefits, Tierney said.
“These allegations demonstrate a lack of integrity that is unrepresentative of the brave men and women who volunteer to serve as firefighters in towns throughout Suffolk County,” Tierney said. “Our residents deserve honest government at all levels, and my office will continue to seek out and prosecute violations of the public trust.”
Burns was arrested by investigators with the Suffolk County District Attorney's Public Corruption Squad, Tierney said. Burns was arraigned on the charges before Southold Town Justice Eileen Powers, who released Burns on his own recognizance, the DA said.
Under current New York State law, the offenses Burns is charged with are considered eligible without bail, Tierney added.
Burns is due back in court on April 26 and faces two-and-a-half to seven years in prison if convicted of the first charge, Tierney said. He is represented by attorney William Goggins, who declined to comment.
