County Health Official Charged With Felony Ethics Violations, Fraud

SOUTH SALEM, NY — A high-ranking health department official has been arrested and is facing felony fraud charges.

Westchester County District Attorney Miriam Rocah announced on Wednesday that the Westchester County Department of Health Assistant Commissioner was arrested and charged with failing to disclose to the Westchester County Board of Ethics more than $95,000 in income he received from an environmental health consulting firm from 2020 to 2022.

Peter DeLucia, 54, of South Salem, was arrested on Wednesday by the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office and charged with three felony counts of offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree. He was issued a desk appearance ticket for a March 27, arraignment in White Plains City Court.

According to court documents, DeLucia failed to disclose more than $95,000 received for consulting services in checks, wire transfers and automatic bank transfers from Retired Regulators LLC, DBA Rapid Response Environmental Health Consulting LLC, on his 2020, 2021, and 2022 forms.

Westchester County requires that certain employees, including DeLucia, file Annual Statements of Financial Disclosure with the county's Board of Ethics disclosing the source and nature of any income over $1,000 related to any outside occupation, employment, business or profession while employed by the county.

DeLucia allegedly received and deposited around $14,000 in 2020, $36,000 in 2021, and $45,000 in 2022.

The DA’s Office says that it first learned of the allegations in October 2023 and launched an investigation.

The case is being prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Renee Hassel of the Public Integrity and Law Enforcement Integrity Bureau in the Trials and Investigations Division.