Crimes Nearby: Pointing Laser at Plane; Medicaid Fraud

The following information was supplied by the Nassau and Suffolk County Police Departments. Where an arrest is mentioned, it does not indicate a conviction.

Smithtown

Suffolk police arrested David Smith, 21, of St. James, man after they say he pointed a green laser at an airplane and the ensuing police helicopter sent out to determine the laser's location. Smith was charged with obstructing governmental administration in the second degree and may face future charges from the New York Port Authority and New Jersey Terrorism Task Force.

Police said the Federal Aviation Administration notified SCPD that an aircraft had been targeted around 9:55 p.m. by a green laser pointer on the ground. While a responding helicopter approached the airspace where the alleged initial incident occurred, police said the helicopter was also targeted by the laser.

Using units on the ground in the Fourth Precinct and Community Oriented Police Enforcement, Smith's residence on King Arthur's Court was determined to be the location, they said. He was arrested less than an hour after the FAA contacted SCPD. 

Huntington

A Centerport man was arrested early Sunday for driving while intoxicated after an accident that seriously injured a passenger in his vehicle.

According to police, Richard Heiser, 31, was driving his 2005 Chevrolet truck eastbound on Jericho Turnpike in Huntington when he made a left turn onto Broadway, lost control of the vehicle and struck two utility poles at approximately 1 a.m.

Jennifer Todero, 34, the only passenger in Heiser’s vehicle, suffered a serious injury to her leg. Todero, of Centerport, was transported to Huntington Hospital, and then transferred to North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, where she was admitted in serious condition, according to police.

Heiser, was transported to Huntington Hospital with minor injuries, according to police.

Following an investigation by  detectives, Heiser was charged with Driving While Intoxicated, according to police. He is scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip Sunday.

The vehicle was impounded for a safety check and the investigation is continuing, police say.

Kings Park

Brandon Reppert, 21, of Kings Park was arrested Dec. 11 in Kings Park and charged with assault: recklessly causing physical injury. Reppert allegedly attacked another person with a knife, causing lacerations.

Commack

James Yates, 31, of East Northport, was arrested Dec. 7 in Commack and charged with possession of a hypodermic instrument. Yates allegedly had a syringe when he was arrested on Jericho Turnpike.

Julie Castiglione, 19, of Bohemia, was arrested Dec. 11 in Commack and charged with first offense DWI and leaving the scene of an accident with property damage. She was arrested at the corner of Route 454 and Lincoln Avenue after being involved in an accident, police said. Castiglione allegedly struck a 2008 Ford while driving a 1999 Acura as she travelled eastbound on Route 454.

Miguel Berrios, 43, of Copiague, was arrested Dec. 10 in Commack and charged with DWI with a previous conviction within ten years. Berrios was arrested near the intersection of the Long Island Expressway service road and the Sunken Meadow Parkway after he allegedly struck a guardrail with a 1998 Lincoln and rolled down a hill.

Hauppauge

Selvin Watts, 28, of Long Island City, was arrested Dec. 12 in Hauppauge and charged with first-degree robbery, assault and unlawful imprisonment. Police said Watts and Michael Richards, 21, of no known address, allegedly stole cash from apartment 1F at 666 Veterans Highway in Hauppauge. The two men threatened a person with a handgun, and that Richards restrained the person while they were burned with a hot knife, according to police. The person was taken to the hospital.

Selvin Watts, 28, of Long Island City, was arrested Dec. 12 in Hauppauge and charged with first-degree robbery, assault and unlawful imprisonment. Police said Watts and Michael Richards, 21, of no known address, allegedly stole cash from apartment 1F at 666 Veterans Highway in Hauppauge. The two men threatened a person with a handgun, and that Richards restrained the person while they were burned with a hot knife, according to police. The person was taken to the hospital.

Plainview

A Plainview couple were among nine people charged with stealing more than $282,000 in bogus 

Byung Jun, 42, and Myung Hee Jun, 43, of Plainview, face felony charges of  grand larceny, welfare fraud and filing falsified documents.

Between January 2006 and August 2009, the defendants stole more than $25,000 in undeserved Medicaid benefits by claiming on paperwork to only earn $650 per week, the D.A.'s office said. The defendants did not disclose annual deposits into personal bank accounts of between $73,000 and $175,000, as well as their ownership of a Hauppauge nail salon.

Both face up to seven years in prison if convicted. Seven other Nassau residents face similar charges.

Nassau County District Attorney said the sweep was the result of joint investigations by the D.A’s Public Assistance Fraud Unit and the Nassau County Department of Social Services Special Investigations Unit.

Since 2007, the District Attorney’s Office has uncovered more than $3.4 million in stolen benefits and returned more than $2.1 million to the taxpayer, Rice said.

“Medicaid is designed to provide much-needed healthcare to our society’s most vulnerable members, not to criminals who think nothing of placing their financial burdens on the backs of the taxpayer,” said Rice, adding her office "will continue to find and arrest the scam artists who plague these essential programs."

Medicaid provides free public health insurance to more than 40 million low-income individuals nationwide. It is funded jointly by federal, state, and county governments.

--

Five people manage to distract a Plainview jeweler and made off with an undetermined amount of jewelry Thursday afternoon, Nassau Police said.

Nassau detectives said five people entered  on Manetto Hill Road near Old Country Road Thursday about 2:45 p.m. and managed to remove assorted jewelry from several display cases.

Detectives said the heist began as two men asked the owner to look at earrings and, in the process, distracted the jeweler. At the same time, three women whose faces were covered in scarves unlocked the display cases and removed assorted jewelry, police said.

All five then bolted from the scene in a light blue Dodge Caravan with an extended roof top, fleeing westbound on Old Country Road. The Caravan had been parked in the jewelry store's parking lot during the heist, and police said two other people were seen inside the van.

No injuries were reported. The value of the jewelry had not been determined.

Detectives ask anyone with information about this crime to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. All callers will remain anonymous, police said.

Farmingdale

Two men have been arrested and charged with robbery in connection with an 

According to Nassau County police, Jordan Dissis, 18, of 355 Rte 340, Spark Hill, N.Y. and Louis Bueno, 18, of 32 Hunters Lane, Huntington, approached a male on Main Street, pointed a handgun at his chest and demanded his property.

One stood behind the 33-year-old victim with a large Maglite flashlight and threatened to hit the victim if he did not cooperate, police said. According to reports, the victim complied and handed the subjects his wallet, which contained $12 cash and personal papers, a maroon Metro PCS cell phone and his Adidas backpack before Dissis and Bueno fled on foot

Bueno was arrested Sept. 15 and arraigned on Sept. 16 in the First District Court. Dissis was arraigned on Dec. 17 in First District Court.