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On Long Island, Suffolk County Legislator William “Doc” Spencer, who represents the 18th District, was charged on Monday, Nov. 8 on a nine-count indictment that includes seven felonies.
Spencer, a Centerport resident, was previously arrested on drug charges. He pleaded not guilty. The new charges were not read in court.
The new charges are tied to Spencer allegedly hiring a sex worker in September 2020 and later lying about the incident to investigators in official documents, claiming that he was the victim of an extortion scam by a pimp.
He was previously charged with third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and criminal sale of a controlled substance.
Officials said that county and federal officials on Long Island were tipped to Spencer’s alleged activities, leading to a meeting behind a Goodwill store in Elwood, where he was met by investigators as part of a sting operation.
It has been alleged that Spencer texted a woman who he believed to be a sex worker, to meet for a swap of Oxycodone pills for sex. He was found in his state vehicle parked behind the Goodwill store outside a strip mall, and busted with lubricant, condoms, and a loaded pistol.
Spencer has been in the legislature since being elected in 2011. He remains a legislator but entered into an agreement to voluntarily discontinue his medical license pending the conclusion and outcome of the case. He did not seek reelection following his last term as the case against him is pending.
Following the initial allegations, Suffolk County Legislature Presiding Officer Rob Calarco issued a statement saying that “there is nothing in the law that requires a legislator to resign while charges are pending, and while the allegations against Legislator Spencer are serious, he is entitled to his day in court.”
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