Ex-Nassau Probation Officer Pleads Guilty To Sexual Relationship With Probationer: DA

MINEOLA, NY — A former Nassau County probation officer pleaded guilty to official misconduct and offering a false instrument for filing for having a sexual relationship with a probationer he supervised, prosecutors said.

Matthew Albertson, 43, of Smithtown, pleaded guilty on Monday to first-degree offering a false instrument for filing and official misconduct, Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said.

He is expected to receive a cap of six months in jail and five years of probation when he is sentenced. Albertson is due back in court on November 14.

Donnelly said that in August 2023, an attorney for the female probationer reported to county authorities that Albertson, a Nassau County Probation Officer, had engaged in a sexual relationship with the woman while she was under his supervision. The attorney provided screenshots of text messages and other supporting documentation alleging that the relationship began in approximately November 2021 and continued through at least March 2022, Donnelly said.

NCDA opened an investigation into the allegations.

The investigation revealed that on at least nine separate occasions between January 2022 and August 2023, Albertson falsified case notes regarding drug tests, office visits and home visits concerning the probationer, prosecutors said.

Between December 2021 through March 2022, while supervising the probationer, Albertson engaged in a sexual relationship with the woman, including during a home visit, in violation of written probation rules, Donnelly said.

Records also showed that on or about January 14, 2024, Albertson entered into a vehicle purchase contract and financial loan obligation with the probationer’s family member to purchase a car for the probationer in another violation of agency rules, the D.A.'s office said.

From December 22, 2021, through and including February 13, 2022, Albertson gave the probationer money on at least 18 separate dates, totaling approximately $8,000, for a car rental, manicures, food and other expenses, Donnelly said.

“Matthew Albertson’s actions were an abhorrent abuse of power and a slap in the face to integrity and fairness. When trust in the justice system is eroded, it casts a shadow over the important work done by so many professionals in Nassau County,” said Donnelly. “This guilty plea is a testament to my office’s commitment to maintaining public confidence in the system. Anyone who abuses their authority here will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

If you believe that you or someone you know may have been victimized by Matthew Albertson, contact NCDA’s Public Corruption Bureau at 516-571-2100.

Albertson is defended by attorney Lloyd Nadel.