STATE DOT EMPLOYEE ARRESTED FOR THEFT

Acting State Inspector General Catherine Leahy Scott announced the arrest of a New York State
Department of Transportation (DOT) employee on charges he stole scrap metal from a DOT facility,
sold it for cash and retained the proceeds for his personal use.
“State employees are prohibited from taking public property, plain and simple,” said Inspector
General Scott. “Taxpayers have every right to expect the items and services they pay for are used by the
public and not sold by state employees for private gain.”

Rocco Ranucci, 55, of Vestal, N.Y., was arrested Thursday by Inspector General investigators
and the New York State Police. He was charged with three counts of Petit Larceny and one count of
Official Misconduct. He faces up to one year in jail.

The Inspector General’s investigation revealed that from May through July 2012, Ranucci
allegedly removed scrap metal from a DOT scrap pile and sold it to a local scrap yard for a profit. DOT
policy requires that scrap metal be accumulated and sold through protocols established by the Office of
General Services with the profits being returned to the state general fund.

Ranucci has worked as a full time highway maintenance worker with DOT in Binghamton since
November 2008, currently earning an annual salary of $32,974. As a Highway Maintenance Worker,
Ranucci was responsible for maintenance, debris removal and snowplowing state roadways.

Binghamton Worker Faces Up to Year in Jail
September 28, 2012