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Victim Left Wheelchair-Bound After Facebook Scam By Long Island 23-Year-Old, DA Says Victim Left Wheelchair-Bound After Facebook Scam By Long Island 23-Year-Old, DA Says
Victim Left Wheelchair-Bound After Facebook Scam By Long Island 23-Year-Old, DA Says A Long Island man is facing a host of charges in connection with an alleged Facebook Marketplace scam that left the victim confined to a wheelchair. Jordan Behling, age 23, of Wheatley Heights, was arraigned on assault and related charges in Suffolk County Court on Tuesday, Jan. 9. According to prosecutors, the victim agreed to meet Behling on Friday, June 16, 2023 to purchase a PlayStation 5 gaming console that Behling had listed on Facebook Marketplace. At around 7:15 p.m., Behling pulled up to the victim’s home in an SUV and the victim handed him $280 in cash through the window. Once h…

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by Michael Mashburn
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Enough Fentanyl To Kill 117K Found At Couple's Long Island Home With Child, DA Says Enough Fentanyl To Kill 117K Found At Couple's Long Island Home With Child, DA Says
Enough Fentanyl To Kill 117K Found At Couple's Long Island Home With Child, DA Says A Long Island couple’s kitchen pantry had enough fentanyl inside to kill tens of thousands of people, prosecutors allege. Tammy and Victoria Webster, both of Greenport, were arraigned on over a dozen drug and related charges in Suffolk County Court on Monday, Dec. 18. According to prosecutors, officers raided the couple’s home in early December 2023 and found Tammy Webster in her car with fentanyl and cocaine. Inside the home, they found Victoria Webster with the couple’s 2-year-old child. A search of the residence turned up 234 grams of fentanyl and 44 grams of cocaine that was stored in…

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
New Update: Dozens Of Students Accuse 'Revered' Former LI Teacher Of Sexual Abuse, DA Says New Update: Dozens Of Students Accuse 'Revered' Former LI Teacher Of Sexual Abuse, DA Says
New Update: Dozens Of Students Accuse 'Revered' Former LI Teacher Of Sexual Abuse, DA Says This story has been updated. Dozens of former students have accused a retired elementary school teacher on Long Island of sexual abuse dating back decades. Thomas Bernagozzi, age 75, of Babylon, was arrested on sex crimes charges Thursday, Dec. 21, following an investigation by Suffolk County Police. Prosecutors said Bernagozzi, who taught in the Bay Shore School District, sexually abused two male students between the late 1980s and early 2000s. He was charged with one count of course of sexual conduct against a child and one count of sodomy, both violent felonies. At the time of the all…

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by Michael Mashburn
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Woman Who Struck Triathlete During Long Island Race Was Speeding On Suspended License, DA Says Woman Who Struck Triathlete During Long Island Race Was Speeding On Suspended License, DA Says
Woman Who Struck Triathlete During Long Island Race Was Speeding On Suspended License, DA Says A woman accused of driving into a closed racecourse and striking a triathlete bicyclist on Long Island should not have been behind the wheel, prosecutors said. Jakeline Figueroa, age 29, of Westbury, was arraigned on nearly a half dozen criminal charges in Suffolk County Court on Wednesday, Dec. 20. Prosecutors said Figueroa was speeding in her SUV when she drove through a stop bar and into a triathlon event in the parking lot of Smith Point Beach in Shirley on Sunday, Aug. 6. Earlier Report: Triathlete 'Fighting For His Life' After Being Struck By Car During Shirley Race Moments …

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by Michael Mashburn
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Long Island Man Who Sexually Abused Stepdaughter For Months Gets Decades In Prison Long Island Man Who Sexually Abused Stepdaughter For Months Gets Decades In Prison
Long Island Man Who Sexually Abused Stepdaughter For Months Gets Decades In Prison A Long Island man will spend decades behind bars for subjecting his young stepdaughter to months of sexual abuse. The 43-year-old Shirley man, who prosecutors are not naming to protect the victim’s identity, was sentenced to 23 years in prison in Suffolk County Court on Tuesday, Dec. 19. It followed his jury conviction for multiple sex crimes in November 2023. According to prosecutors, the man began abusing the girl in July 2016 when she was nine years old. The abuse would occur while her mother was at work. He often threatened the girl in order to keep the abuse quiet, investigators said…

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by Michael Mashburn
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Long Island Mother Admits Suffocating Twin Toddler Daughters: 'She Executed Them' Long Island Mother Admits Suffocating Twin Toddler Daughters: 'She Executed Them'
Medford Mother Admits Suffocating Twin Toddler Daughters A Long Island mother has admitted to suffocating her twin toddler daughters. Tenia Campbell, age 28, of Medford, pleaded guilty to two counts of murder in Suffolk County Court on Monday, Dec. 11 in connection with the girls’ killings in June 2019. Prosecutors said Campbell’s mother called 911 at around 2:40 p.m. on June 27, 2019, saying Campbell was driving around in the family van threatening to kill her daughters. The call prompted a large-scale police search between Medford and Montauk. Finally, at around 4 p.m. an East Hampton Police officer spotted the van off Montauk Highway, a few …

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by Michael Mashburn
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Teachers' Union Treasurer On Long Island Admits Embezzling Over $20K In Dues Teachers' Union Treasurer On Long Island Admits Embezzling Over $20K In Dues
Teachers' Union Treasurer On Long Island Admits Embezzling Over $20K In Dues The former treasurer of a teachers’ union on Long Island has admitted embezzling tens of thousands of dollars in union dues. Fannie Bowe, age 54, of Bellport, pleaded guilty to grand larceny in Suffolk County Court on Wednesday, Dec. 6, following an investigation into questionable expenses at the Bellport Teachers Association Affiliates. In October 2020, she was elected as treasurer of the union, which represents teacher assistants and school aides at the South Country Central School District, headquartered in East Patchogue. She also worked as a school monitor for the district. Earlier…

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by Michael Mashburn
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Long Island Attorney Steals $200K From Clients, Including Lottery Winner: DA Long Island Attorney Steals $200K From Clients, Including Lottery Winner: DA
Long Island Attorney Steals $200K From Clients, Including Lottery Winner: DA A Long Island attorney is accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from her clients, including a lottery winner. Daphne Zekaria, age 54, of Syosset, was arraigned on grand larceny and related charges in Suffolk County Court on Tuesday, Dec. 5. According to prosecutors, she was hired by a New York State Lottery winner in December 2021 while working as a partner at the Huntington law firm Sokolski and Zekaria, P.C. An investigation found that she promised to hold a portion of her client’s money in the firm’s escrow account and invest an additional portion on his behalf. However,…

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by Michael Mashburn
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18-Year-Old Speeding, On Phone Moments Before Crash Killing Long Island Man, DA Says 18-Year-Old Speeding, On Phone Moments Before Crash Killing Long Island Man, DA Says
18-Year-Old Speeding, On Phone Moments Before Crash Killing Long Island Man, DA Says An 18-year-old has been charged in connection with an alleged distracted driving crash that killed a Long Island man. Nicolas Apostolides, of West Babylon, was arraigned on manslaughter and related charges in Suffolk County Court on Friday, Dec. 1, in the death of David Martinez. According to prosecutors, Apostolides was speeding and using his phone when he ran a red light and crashed into another car on Straight Path in West Babylon at around 5:30 a.m. on Sunday, April 16. Martinez, age 63, of West Babylon, was taken to Good Samaritan University Hospital in West Islip where he died from …

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by Michael Mashburn
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Long Island Man Who Posed As Cop For Store Discounts Gets Years In Prison Long Island Man Who Posed As Cop For Store Discounts Gets Years In Prison
Long Island Man Who Posed As Cop For Store Discounts Gets Years In Prison A Long Island man will spend years in prison after admitting that he impersonated a police officer in order to save a buck. Eric Diaz, age 43, of Brentwood, was sentenced to two to four years behind bars in Suffolk County Court on Monday, Nov. 13. It followed his earlier guilty plea to felony criminal possession of a forged instrument after he was busted with multiple fraudulent NYPD identification cards. Earlier Report: Brentwood Man Admits Posing As NYPD Officer To Get Store Discounts According to prosecutors, Diaz posed as a cop on multiple occasions while visiting a retail sto…

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by Michael Mashburn
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16-Year-Old Gets Over Decade For Ambush Killing Of 'Proud' Godfather On Long Island 16-Year-Old Gets Over Decade For Ambush Killing Of 'Proud' Godfather On Long Island
16-Year-Old Gets Over Decade For Ambush Killing Of 'Proud' Godfather On Long Island A teenager has been sentenced to years in prison for killing a man in an ambush shooting on Long Island. Ramon Lyons, age 16, of Huntington Station, was given 12 years to life in prison in Suffolk County Court on Monday, Nov. 13. It followed his guilty plea to second-degree murder in the death of 21-year-old Luis Cameron Rimmer-Hernandez. Earlier Report: 16-Year-Old Confesses To Ambush Killing Of 'Intelligent, Proud Godfather' In Huntington According to prosecutors, Lyons ran up to the victim as he stood talking to friends in Huntington Station, on Lowndes Avenue, shortly before 1…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Man Charged For Fatal Long Island Hit-Run Man Charged For Fatal Long Island Hit-Run
Man Charged For Fatal Long Island Hit-Run A Long Island man is facing charges six months after he allegedly struck a 42-year-old woman and fled, leaving her to die on the side of the road. Fifty-two-year-old Steven Syrop of Holtsville faced his indictment on Wednesday, Nov. 8 for the incident that killed Jennifer Bianco, age 41, of Bay Shore, the Suffolk County District Attorney announced. Earlier Report - Update: Alleged Hit-Run Driver Surrenders Months After Bay Shore Woman's Death Nearly six months prior, on Sunday, May 21, Syrop was driving his blue 2020 Chevy Silverado south on North Ocean Avenue in Holtsville. At …

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by Sophie Grieser