Company employees allegedly stole $200,000+ from town

An undercover photo taken by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office shows a Town of Smithtown recycling truck making an unauthorized stop in West Babylon. Three men have been arrested for illegally reselling recyclables collected outside Smithtown homes. (Photo Courtesy: Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota’s office)

Smithtown, NY (SmithtownRadio.com) – The Town of Smithtown Town Board voted Tuesday to move ahead with motions to terminate its contract with a company caught stealing thousands from the township.

The board unanimously approved the hiring of a hearing officer to oversee the terminating of a contract with Jody Enterprises, Inc. and its parent company Platte River Insurance Company. Employees from the company, which has contracts with multiple island townships, were caught in a Suffolk County District Attorney investigation diverting collectibles to a non-town processing center and selling the recyclable material for personal gain. Joseph DeMatteo, 72, of West Islip, the owner of the DMattero Salvage, is accused of buying over $200,000 worth of material collected from Smithtown curbsides by carting company employees William A. Stegemann, 55, of Lindenhurst, and Michael Dalessandro, 43, of East Patchogue.

The town board also voted Tuesday to file legal action against the company in New York State Supreme Court.