A former Nassau County Probation Officer, was indicted for allegedly starting a sexual relationship with a probationer he supervised. The officer also reportedly gave her $8,000, co-signed a car loan for her, and did not report her possible fentanyl overdose.
The former probation officer, Matthew Albertson, is accused of misconduct for the sexual relationship, as well as falsifying official records in order to cover it up.
Albertson, 42, pleaded not guilty in district court today. If convicted, he faces a maximum of four years in prison.
“Probation Officers are in a position of great trust, assisting people with criminal justice involvements to restart their lives and avoid reoffending,” said Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly. “This defendant allegedly exploited his power and compromised his sworn duties by pursuing and engaging in an inappropriate sexual relationship with a probationer that he was supervising.
“Albertson’s alleged actions flew in the face of the Nassau County Probation Department’s rules and failed the probationer he should have been lawfully and ethically supporting through this process.”
In August 2023, DA Donnelly said, an attorney for the probationer reported to the authorities that Albertson had sex with the probationer while she was under his supervision. Screenshots of text messages showed, the attorney said, that the relationship began around November 2021 and continued through at least March 2022. On at least one occassion, Albertson allegedly had sex with his probationer during a home visit.
If true, the relationship violates written Probation rules that prohibit intimate relationships between officers and their probationers.
A subsequent investigation by the NCDA revealed that Albertson allegedly gave his probationer a total of $8,000 across 18 separate dates. The money was for manicures, food, car payments and other expenses.
Further, on Jan. 14, Albertson allegedly co-signed a loan on a car with the probationer’s family member in order to purchase a car for her, which is a further violation of agency rules.
The probationer texted Albertson on February 2022 that she feared she was suffering a fentanyl overdose. Her probation officer allegedly did not seek medical assistance or emergency services for her — rather, he told the woman to stay awake, wake up her mother, and eat sugar.
Afterwards, Albertson did not report any drug use to Probation, and later filed a case note reporting that the probationer stated she was doing well.
And on nine separate occassions between January 2022 and August 2023, the former probation officer allegedly falsified case notes regarding drug tests, office visits, and home visits concerning the probationer.
Albertson had documented that his probationer was drug tested at her home and the Nassau County Probation Department — but the evidence revealed that no one from Probation administered a drug test to her.
Albertson had also allegedly documented that phone call check-ins, home visits, and office visits were made on specific dates. Yet phone records, text messages between the defendant and probationer, and other evidence showed that these check-ins did not occur.
The former probation officer surrendered to NCDA Detective Investigators today.
“We’re going to review the discovery and see what type of case the district attorney has, and see what the charges are and whether they can prove them,” said Lloyd Nadel, Albertson’s lawyer.
He is expected back in court on Nov. 6.
If you believe that you or someone you know may have been victimized by Matthew Albertson, please contact NCDA’s Public Corruption Bureau at 516-571-0192.
