Norwich — Former Board of Education member James Maloney was arrested on an additional forgery charge Monday while appearing in Norwich Superior Court on charges stemming from a June incident in which he allegedly forged insurance documents to obtain permission to use a city recreation basketball court for a tournament.

Maloney, 36, of 87 B Franklin St. was charged at 10:40 a.m. Monday at Norwich Superior Court with third-degree forgery and second-degree issuing a false statement. He pleaded not guilty Monday and is next due in court Jan. 22.

Maloney last June was charged with second-degree forgery as a result of an investigation into his alleged falsification of insurance documents submitted to the city along with a request to use the Jenkins Basketball Court for the nonprofit Night Flight basketball program. The date on the insurance document “appeared to be manipulated and falsified,” a police warrant in that case stated. City officials learned that the insurance policy had been canceled for nonpayment.

Maloney resigned from the school board two days after the June 11 arrest.

According to the warrant affidavit on the new charge, Norwich Human Services Director Lee Ann Gomes notified police on Oct. 1 that Maloney allegedly was attempting to apply for a state tax relief benefit, which allows for elderly and disabled individuals to apply for tax relief if their rent payments reached a certain level based on income.

The warrant said Maloney on Sept. 30 had attempted to submit several documents that demonstrated the rent he had paid for 2018. A case worker in the city Human Services Department attempted to contact various parties to verify the information. According to the warrant, one document purportedly showing Maloney had paid $9,600 in rent to a landlord in 2018 contained errors allegedly showing Maloney had lived at the apartment from April 3, 2018, through Oct. 3, 2019.

When the case worker contacted the landlord, the landlord allegedly reported that Maloney had lived in the apartment only since May of 2019, and the landlord said he did not create or sign the document submitted. The landlord also allegedly reported that Maloney had owed several thousand dollars in back rent and eviction proceedings had started.

Maloney allegedly told the case worker he made a mistake and submitted the wrong documents. He returned on Oct. 1 with documentation for $2,400 in rent over a three-month period. The application for tax relief was submitted, which calculated a tax benefit of $700. Maloney allegedly signed the submission.

Police contacted the landlord allegedly identified in the second receipt, and the warrant stated he had rented to Maloney in 2015 or 2016, but not in the past two years. The landlord allegedly told police he did not generate the document to anyone.

Maloney told police on Oct. 2 that he submitted the first receipt, allegedly signed by a maintenance person for the landlord as a mistake, but that all other information submitted was accurate.

In a subsequent interview with police on Oct. 23, Maloney provided a signed statement allegedly saying he had created the second receipt without the landlord’s knowledge and provided his son’s email address to Norwich Human Services allegedly to verify with the landlord that the information in the submitted form was accurate.

c.bessette@theday.com