CARL CAMPANILE
NY Post Online
October 17, 2001 -- A ghoulish Board of Education plumber was busted yesterday for stealing supplies from a World Trade Center disaster site while his bosses looked the other way, schools investigator Ed Stancik said.
Frank Zanotti, a 19-year schools veteran from Armonk, in Westchester, even stole bags of dog food and protective dog boots from PS 234 near ground zero, according to Stancik. Zanotti owns several show dogs.
Zanotti also allegedly walked off with hard hats and protective gear for search and rescue personnel, tools, work boots, gloves, clothing and other items.
"It's truly shocking. Zanotti took advantage of a terrible tragedy in a shameful fashion," Stancik said.
"There were a lot of people at the Board of Education who put their all into the rescue and recovery effort. He's not indicative of the work they did."
An outraged co-worker blew the whistle on Zanotti.
Stancik said his probe raised a host of other questions for school authorities to answer.
Zanotti, a plumbing supervisor in the Division of School Facilities, earned a whopping $120,000 last year - $50,000 of it in overtime pay. Stancik said he will look into the fat salary.
Stancik also noted Zanotti was hired years ago despite a conviction for accepting a bribe as a city police officer in 1970, raising questions about the board's hiring policy.
Stancik said he was most disturbed by the fact that five supervisors knew about Zanotti's theft, but decided to cover it up instead of report it.
They directed Zanotti to bring the supplies to his office. Other employees then returned them to the Red Cross.
Meanwhile, an 18-year-old worker at a fast-food restaurant on Long Island was busted in the swiping of a jar containing cash donations for trade center victims.
James Tambasco Jr., stole the jar while working at a McDonald's in Rocky Point on Sept. 25, cops said. The container had $1,000 in it.
Additional reporting by Kieran Crowley.
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