Crime & Safety

Crime Nearby: Councilman Convicted on Multiple Felonies

Patch reports on crime in the Long Island community.

Long Beach City Councilman Michael Fagen was found guilty on charges that he illegally collected unemployment benefits in 2010 while he was employed by the City of Long Beach as a council member. After a week of deliberations, the jurors at Nassau County Court in Mineola on Tuesday found Fagen guilty on 18 of 38 counts of first-degree offering a false instrument for filing and one misdemeanor count of petit larceny, said Chris Munzing, a spokesman for the Nassau County District Attorneys Office. Fagen, 56, faces a maximum of 4 years in jail. He will be sentenced by Judge Meryl Berkowitz on April 8. In November 2009, Fagen was elected to a four-year term as a Long Beach city councilman, a full-time position, and began receiving a yearly salary of $19,828 upon his inauguration in January 2010.

Duo Charged With Armed Robbery of Wantagh Convenience Store

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An armed robbery of a Wantagh convenience store Wednesday night led to the arrest of two men who were later charged with committing numerous other robberies throughout Nassau County in the last few months. According to detectives, Michael Molinaro, 36, of 156 of Levittown and David Jones, 37, of East Rockaway entered the Quick Pick Convenience Store at 2264 Wantagh Ave. and announced a robbery while displaying a handgun. After obtaining an undetermined amount of money from a 43 year old female store employee, the men  fled the scene on foot. No injuries were reported. Shortly after fleeing the store, Molinaro and Jones were observed by Seventh Precinct police officers in a 2012 Kia on Brookside Avenue in Wantagh and after an investigation placed them into custody without incident.

Massapequa Park Teen Arrested Under Leandra's Law

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A Massapequa Park teen, who cops said was driving under the influence of drugs, with younger teens in the car has been arrested under Leandra's Law, police said. Joseph Barrera, 19, was charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated under Leandra's Law, which makes it a felony to drive while intoxicated if there are passengers 15 or younger in the car. Police said Barrera had a 15 year-old boy who was in the car, as well as an 18-year-old passenger. Police stopped Barrera's car and police said the driver showed signs of possible drug use. Police said they recovered a glass pipe containing marijuana, and placed him under arrest.

TD Bank Robbed in Great Neck Monday

An unidentified male robbed a TD Bank in Great Neck Plaza Monday evening, according to Nassau police. The incident occurred at 2 Great Neck Rd. where the suspect fled with an unkown amount of cash, according to police. According to detectives, a male black subject, 30-35 years old, 5’9” tall, medium build, medium complexion, wearing a black and green jacket and a black knit hat entered the TD Bank at 6:51 p.m. Police say the subject threatened to shoot the 30-year-old female teller but did not display a weapon. The teller complied with his demands and handed over an undetermined amount of U.S. currency. The subject fled on foot northbound on Great Neck Road.

Cops Bust Bethpage Massage Parlor

Nassau County detectives arrested three Queens women Tuesday on charges of unauthorized practice in connection with massage therapy in Bethpage. Members of the Narcotics/Vice Bureau made the arrests Tuesday afternoon, at Meis Foot Spa, at 378 North Wantagh Avenue when the three performed massage therapy on undercover detectives without a license, police said. State law requires a license to perform massage therapy. According to detectives, the defendants, all from Flushing, Queens, are, Xiu Mei Ma, 44 of 6206 Main St., Bi Rong Dong, 41, of 5670 136th St., and Lijuan Li, 38 of 17332 64th Ave.  Xiu Mei Ma has been arrested three previous times at this location, accused of the same crime, detectives said. All the defendants are charged with one count of unauthorized practice. They are scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday at First District Court in Hempstead.

Plainview Bank Robbed; Second Heist in Three Weeks

Nassau County police are looking for at least one man who pulled off a bank robbery Wednesday afternoon in Plainview. Police and detectives were at the scene Wednesday afternoon of the bank heist at the Roslyn Savings Bank on Old Country Road, one block east of South Oyster Bay Road in Plainview. At least five police units were called along with a crime scene truck at about 1:15 p.m.; the investigation is ongoing. Police reported that an unknown white male entered the bank and presented a note demanding money to a teller. After obtaining an undetermined amount of cash the man fled on foot westbound towards the Burger King parking lot at Old Country Road and South Oyster Bay Road. The Roslyn Savings Bank robbery takes place just three weeks after the TD Bank directly across the street was robbed. There have been a string of bank robberies in recent weeks across Long Island.


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