Cop On Wrong Side of the Law Detective Charged in Scheme to Defraud

By Richard Wier Daily News Staff Writer

A Nassau Detective pleaded guilty yesterday to using his undercover identity to illegally obtain 23 credit and charge cards on which he racked up $30,OOO in bills. Rodolpho Barrio, 41, an 18 year veteran cop who was on special assignment in the Nassau District Attorney’s office, will serve no jail time or probation as a result of his plea, said his attorney, William Petrillo.

Barrio was charged with several felonies and faced as much as four years in jail. But he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of scheme to defraud, and. agreed to pay $51,723 in restitution that prosecutors said his attorney would forward to the creditors.

Judge Martin Massel gave Barrio a conditional discharge, allowing him to remain free as long as he does not commit any additional crimes.

As part of the plea deal, Barrio yesterday also resigned from the Nassau County Police Department.

“He fell upon hard times and that led to his error in judgment,” Petrillo said after the sentencing. “He’s deeply sorry for the embarrassment he caused his family and to the police department.”

According to prosecutors, Barrio pulled off his scam by using his undercover alias – it included a fake name and social security number given to him by law enforcement agencies — to develop numerous personal lines of credit with some 14 different banks and creditors.

From March 2000 to last September, he opened a total of 23 different charge and credit card accounts from Capital One Visa, American Express, Sears, Levitz, Seaman’s, Best Buy, and others — altogether obtaining a line of credit exceeding $60,000.

Barrio, who made more than $95,000 as a detective, used the accounts to buy computers, home furnishings, clothes, home entertainment systems, and other items such as liquor.

The divorced father, who lived in Flushing Queens, was declared bankrupt in a Brooklyn court in 1999 and had several liens against him, according to authorities.

Petrillo said his client’s bankruptcy and divorce were factors that led to his actions.