Norwich school board member not planning to resign following arrest
Norwich — Board of Education member James Maloney said Wednesday he will not resign from the board following his arrest Monday on a forgery charge, which he said he would fight.
Maloney, 36, of 155 Boswell Ave., was charged with second-degree forgery after police said he forged an insurance document to reserve a basketball court for a men’s basketball tournament May 30 and 31. Maloney is expected to be arraigned June 20 in Norwich Superior Court.
“I don’t plan on resigning,” Maloney said Wednesday. “I just want to finish out this term. He added that even before his arrest, he had not thought about whether he would seek re-election to a second term this fall.
Maloney said he could not discuss details of the arrest on the advice of his attorney, but he disputed information in a police warrant affidavit in which police wrote that Maloney “freely and voluntarily admitted to purposely sending the forged insurance documentation to the city of Norwich in an effort to have the event continue.”
The affidavit said Maloney had hoped city officials would not notice the allegedly fraudulent date change on the policy — which the insurance carrier told city officials had been canceled a week earlier for nonpayment — until the basketball tournament was over.
Maloney said he resigned as president of the Night Flight Men’s Basketball League during the police investigation to allow the tournament to go forward with insurance coverage provided through the Tabernacle of Deliverance and Praise Church, which supports the league. The tournament took place May 30 and 31, Maloney said.
Night Flight Men’s Basketball League Facebook page posted a comment late Tuesday night following publication of Maloney’s arrest.
“So sorry for the embarrassment of one man actions!! It does not represent what I and Night Flight stand for!!” the unsigned Facebook post said.
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