A former mail-room employee of the New York Power Authority was accused Wednesday in White Plains of stealing about $2,918 from the authority to pay for gasoline for his own personal use.
Raymond Encarnacion, 29, worked for the NYPA from August 2, 2012, until early November. In that time, prosecutors said, Encarnacion managed to steal the money by using NYPA-issued gas cards that were intended for its vehicles.
The thefts, authorities said, were uncovered after an internal audit. A subsequent investigation by local authorities and the office of state Inspector General Catherine Leahy Scott led to Encarnacion’s surrender on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Encarnacion, of the Bronx, was arraigned in White Plains City Court. He did not enter a plea to the charge and was ordered back to court on Feb. 26. He remains free on $2,000 bond.
Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore said in a statement that Encarnacion’s “continuing use of the gas cards, as if he was legitimately entitled to the fuel, only adds to the larceny.”
Jeffrey Kaplan, a lawyer for Encarnacion, declined to comment.
A spokeswoman for NYPA said that Encarnacion worked at an administrative office on Main Street in White Plains until December.
The NYPA is the state’s largest public power organization, producing power for various government agencies and smaller power authorities, among others. Until 2000, NYPA also owned and operated the Indian Point nuclear plant in Buchanan.