Officials from Mastic Beach on Long Island say a former village employee illegally gained access to more than 400 residents’ private information, including social security numbers and criminal records.
Mayor Maura Spery says the former employee posed as a police chief to conduct high-level background checks and searches from 2011 to 2014.
“We the people need to stand up and say no, it’s not right for you to look up our information. It’s not right for you to use power, your governmental authority, to go after people. For whatever reason.”
Although Mayor Spery would not confirm or deny a Newsday report that current Northport village administrator Tim Brojer, the former Mastic Beach administrator, is the suspect, she did say Northport’s government server was used in the data breach.
The investigation has been turned over to the Suffolk County’s district attorney’s office and to state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office, neither of whom would comment.