By Jeanne Sager
LIBERTY — September 24, 2002 – Investigator Jeffrey Cabrera’s whole career may be on the verge of going up in smoke.
The State Police officer with more than 20 years in the business was arrested Sept. 17 and charged with forgery in the second degree and two counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree, all felonies.
According to Sullivan County District Attorney Steve Lungen, an investigation that has been ongoing for the past several weeks into Cabrera’s activities allegedly uncovered DIRECTV access cards which the police officer had forged and then sold.
The cards, Lungen explained, allow a DIRECTV user to gain access to an extended range of channels, beyond the lineup they are already paying for.
“These cards would allow significant access,” he noted, “and they could have a value of hundreds of dollars.”
Currently, Cabrera has been suspended without pay from his job at the State Police barracks in Liberty. He was arraigned earlier this week in Liberty Village Court and released on his own recognizance.
He is scheduled to return to court Oct. 1 in Liberty, and according to Lungen, the investigation by the DA’s office and the State Police is ongoing.
If Cabrera is convicted of the charges he currently faces, Lungen said the law will require “mandatory discharge” from his duties. Under New York State Police regulations, a convicted felon cannot serve on a police corps.