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8-Year-Old Who Froze To Death Inside NY Garage Was Failed By Child Protective Services: Jury 8-Year-Old Who Froze To Death Inside NY Garage Was Failed By Child Protective Services: Jury
8-Year-Old Who Froze To Death Inside NY Garage Was Failed By Child Protective Services: Jury A scathing grand jury report found that Child Protective Services (CPS) workers in New York had ample opportunities to save an 8-year-old boy whose years of abuse at the hands of his ex-NYPD officer father culminated in him freezing to death inside a garage. The 71-page report, made public Thursday, April 4, found that Suffolk County CPS received at least 10 reports of abuse or neglect from Thomas Valva’s teachers in the two years leading up to his January 2020 death inside the garage of his Center Moriches home. Valva died of hypothermia after he and his 10-year-old brother Anthony w…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Long Island Daughter Blew $440K Of Parents' Money On Gambling, DA Says Long Island Daughter Blew $440K Of Parents' Money On Gambling, DA Says
Long Island Daughter Blew $440K Of Parents' Money On Gambling, DA Says A Long Island woman is accused of stealing nearly a half million dollars from her elderly parents to blow on gambling. Elizabeth Motti, age 55, of Farmingville, was arraigned on a charge of grand larceny in Suffolk County Court on Wednesday, March 13. Prosecutors allege that Motti stole a total of $440,000 from her parents’ bank accounts between April 2017 and November 2018. The bulk of the money – $355,046 – was obtained through ATM withdrawals at Jake’s 58 Casino in Islandia, investigators said. Another $85,000 was stolen via cash withdrawals from their accounts. At the time of the al…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Dismembered Remains Case: ID Released For 1 Of 2 Westchester County Victims Dismembered Remains Case: ID Released For 1 Of 2 Westchester County Victims
Dismembered Remains Case: ID Released For 1 Of 2 Westchester County Victims For the first time, police have publicly identified one of two murder victims from Westchester County whose mutilated remains were found strewn across Long Island, reigniting the debate over bail reform laws. In an update to the case Monday, March 11, Suffolk County Police identified the female victim as 59-year-old Donna Conneely, whose last known address was in Yonkers. The identity of the male victim is still pending confirmation from the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s office. Earlier Report: Dismembering Dead Body Would Be Felony Under NY Bill Meant To Remedy 'Ill-Conceived D…

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by Michael Mashburn
Politics
'Indefensible': DA Blasts Hochul Over Criticism Of Severed Remains Case Of Westchester Victims 'Indefensible': DA Blasts Hochul Over Criticism Of Severed Remains Case Of Westchester Victims
'Indefensible': DA Blasts Hochul Over Criticism Of Severed Remains Case Of Westchester Victims Local leaders are outraged over comments Gov. Kathy Hochul made criticizing the investigation into two Westchester County residents whose mutilated corpses were strewn across Long Island. The public back-and-forth began Wednesday, March 6, when Suffolk County District Raymond Tierney blasted reforms to the state’s bail laws that saw four suspects in the case released from custody with GPS monitoring. “Unfortunately, due to ‘bail reform’ passed by the New York State Legislature in 2019, charges relating to the mutilation and disposal of murdered corpses are no longer bail-eligible, meaning m…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Long Island Man Attacked Mother Of His Children With Machete, Threatened Bystander, Judge Finds Long Island Man Attacked Mother Of His Children With Machete, Threatened Bystander, Judge Finds
Long Island Man Attacked Mother Of His Children With Machete, Threatened Bystander, Judge Finds A Long Island man could face decades in prison for attacking the mother of his children with a machete and threatening a neighbor who tried to intervene. See New Update: Machete Attack On Woman, Bystander Lands Islandia Man In Prison For Decades The 50-year-old Islandia man, whose name was not released in order to protect the victim’s identity, was convicted of assault and a dozen other charges by a Suffolk County judge on Wednesday, March 6. Prosecutors said the victim first called 911 in March 2022 after spotting the defendant standing outside of her home holding a crowbar and a h…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
'Deplorable': Pimp Forced Long Island Woman Into Sex Work, Beat Her When She Refused, DA Says 'Deplorable': Pimp Forced Long Island Woman Into Sex Work, Beat Her When She Refused, DA Says
'Deplorable': Pimp Forced Long Island Woman Into Sex Work, Beat Her When She Refused, DA Says Formal charges have been filed against a man accused of forcing a Long Island woman into prostitution and allegedly beating her when she refused. Michael Howell, age 64, of Brooklyn, was indicted on sex trafficking and related charges in Suffolk County Court on Thursday, Feb. 29. Prosecutors allege that between September 2022 and February 2024, Howell forced the Suffolk County woman to engage in sexual acts with others for money. He rented hotel rooms and posted ads of the victim on websites typically used to advertise sex work, investigators said. In order to get the woman to comply, How…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Duo Set Fire To PSEG Substations So They Could Burglarize Long Island Businesses, DA Says Duo Set Fire To PSEG Substations So They Could Burglarize Long Island Businesses, DA Says
Duo Set Fire To Pseg Substations So They Could Burglarize Long Island Businesses, DA Says Two men accused in nearly a dozen commercial burglaries on Long Island tried distracting police by setting fires at electrical substations, prosecutors allege. Frank Costa, age 54, of Port Jefferson Station, and Jon Pucci, age 29, of Middle Island, were arraigned on arson and related charges in Suffolk County Court on Tuesday, Feb. 27 According to prosecutors, the men broke into nine Suffolk County businesses – including six convenience stores, a laundry mat, and a deli – between December 2023 and February 2024. Earlier Report: Duo Nabbed For String Of Long Island Business Burglarie…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Repeat Violent Felon Who Opened Fire On Long Island Crowd Gets Decades In Prison Repeat Violent Felon Who Opened Fire On Long Island Crowd Gets Decades In Prison
Repeat Violent Felon Who Opened Fire On Long Island Crowd Gets Decades In Prison A repeat violent felon will spend decades more behind bars for opening fire on a crowd outside a Long Island apartment complex. Messiah Booker, age 38, of Riverhead, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison in Suffolk County Court on Wednesday, Feb. 28. It came after a jury found him guilty on more than a half dozen counts in connection with a broad daylight shooting at Riverhead’s Riverpointe Apartments in May 2022. Earlier Report: Man Accused Of Firing Shot Near Riverhead Apartment Complex, Police Say According to prosecutors, Booker got into an argument with a teenager in the…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Ex-Worker At Long Island Facility Raped Teen Resident While Under Investigation, DA Says Ex-Worker At Long Island Facility Raped Teen Resident While Under Investigation, DA Says
Ex-Worker At Long Island Facility Raped Teen Resident While Under Investigation, DA Says New details have been released in the case of a former children’s group home employee on Long Island accused of repeatedly raping a 13-year-old resident. Hayden Daley, age 28, of Deer Park, was indicted on multiple counts of rape and related charges in Suffolk County Court on Monday, Feb. 26. Prosecutors said Daley began a sexual relationship with the girl in May 2023 while working as a child support specialist at WellLife Network in Dix Hills, a residential facility for children operated by the New York State Office of Mental Health. Earlier Report: Ex-Employee At Long Island Facil…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Long Island Man Films Rape Of Woman He'd Drugged With Sleeping Pills, DA Says Long Island Man Films Rape Of Woman He'd Drugged With Sleeping Pills, DA Says
Long Island Man Films Rape Of Woman He'd Drugged With Sleeping Pills, DA Says A Long Island man is accused of drugging and raping a woman while filming the abuse. Arthur O’Neal, age 36, of Centereach, was arraigned on felony rape and sexual abuse charges in Suffolk County Court on Friday, Feb. 23. Prosecutors said O’Neal brought the victim to his Centereach residence on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023, after drugging her with a sleep aid while they had drinks in Huntington. He then sexually assaulted her until she lost consciousness, according to prosecutors. The woman later woke up in a bed next to O’Neal and saw blood on the sheets. She went to a hospital where an examin…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Long Island Man Sexually Abused 10-Year-Old Stepdaughter Who Texted 911 For Help, Jury Finds Long Island Man Sexually Abused 10-Year-Old Stepdaughter Who Texted 911 For Help, Jury Finds
Long Island Man Sexually Abused 10-Year-Old Stepdaughter Who Texted 911 For Help, Jury Finds A Long Island man could spend decades in prison for sexually abusing his underage stepdaughter. The 45-year-old Bay Shore man, who prosecutors are not naming to protect the child’s identity, was found guilty of multiple sex crimes by a Suffolk County jury on Thursday, Feb. 22. Prosecutors said the man abused the girl on three different occasions between August and October 2021 while her mother was at work. At the time, she was 10 and 11 years old. The abuse ended when the girl sent a text message to 911 reporting that her stepfather was trying to have sex with her, and that he had sexually…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Long Island Man Admits Raping 11-Year-Old Multiple Times Long Island Man Admits Raping 11-Year-Old Multiple Times
Long Island Man Admits Raping 11-Year-Old Multiple Times A man from Long Island faces a decade behind bars after he admitted to repeatedly raping a young girl over the course of a year. The man, a 20-year-old from East Hampton, entered his guilty plea on Wednesday, Feb. 14, the Suffolk County District Attorney announced. According to his guilty plea, the man (who has not been named in order to protect the victim’s identity) met and began talking to his victim when he was 18 and she was 11. He would talk to the girl over the phone and tell her that she was his girlfriend. Then, in November 2021, he began to ask the girl if she would have sex w…

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by Sophie Grieser