Suffolk County District Attorney Tim Sini (D). File photo
A Sound Beach man who has already pleded guilty to sex trafficking, among several other charges, is set to spend the next decade behind bars.
The house on Lower Rocky Point Road in Sound Beach where Raymond Rodio III allegedly perpetrated acts of human trafficking. Photo by Kyle Barr
Supreme Court Justice Mark Cohen handed down the verdict the morning of Tuesday, Sept. 29 to Raymond Rodio III, 49, of Sound Beach. The alleged perpetrator of the sex trafficking ring had already pleaded guilty Feb. 4 to several counts of sex trafficking, promoting prostitution and drug sales. The judge also sentenced him to five years of post-release supervision on the top indictment for trafficking. He is now a registered sex offender as well.
“This defendant had a sex dungeon in his parents’ home and forced women into sex slavery,” District Attorney Tim Sini (D) said after the sentencing. “He pleaded guilty because the evidence was overwhelming thanks to the team who investigated and prosecuted this case, and today he met his fate.
Suffolk County Police Department has previously said Rodio was identified through a traffic stop back in August, 2018. Police said they identified a suspected victim of human trafficking, and the departments Human Trafficking Investigations Unit found further evidence the victim had been forced into prostitution by Rodio in the spring of 2018.
Further investigation by police and DA’s office’s Human Trafficking Team revealed that Rodio had been conducting a human trafficking operation out of the basement of his parents’ residence, located on Lower Rocky Point Road in Sound Beach, since as early as 2014. The investigation identified more than 20 victims of Rodio’s sex trafficking operation.
The DA said Rodio would post advertisements on websites, including Backpage and Craigslist, promoting prostitution by the victims and would keep either a large percentage or all of the profits of their prostitution. Investigations also revealed he coerced victims into performing sex acts by getting them hooked on heroin and crack cocaine. Further investigations also determined he was involved in drug sales.
The investigation also revealed evidence that Rodio would occasionally keep victims in the basement for extended periods of time and force them to use a bucket as a toilet because the basement does not have a bathroom. The door to the basement has an exterior lock to which Rodio had the only key. In addition to the house, Rodio also forced the victims to perform prostitution at various motels throughout Suffolk County.
“Today he will be punished for the damage he caused to more than 20 victims,” Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart said in a release. “Bringing justice to these women is part of the important work of the department’s Human Trafficking Investigations Unit. I commend those investigators as well as the District Attorney’s Human Trafficking Team for their dedication to combatting this issue and holding those who force women into prostitution for their own financial gain accountable for their actions.”
A sign for Old Town Blooms in front of his planted daffodils. photo from Old Town Blooms Facebook
The Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Chamber of Commerce is working with one of its members, Craig den Hartog of Emerald Magic Landscaping, to beautify the area.
The chamber is offering locals the chance to purchase blooms and plant them anywhere from their homes to public property to help add a splash of color to the local scenery as Long Island steadily heads into fall.
“It’s a good way to engage and get some fresh air, especially for folks who may be feeling isolated,” said chamber Community Liaison Joan Nickeson. “Plantings can take place anywhere; at private homes, the park, at the schools or businesses etc. We only ask for a photo.”
Den Hartog is the head of Old Town Blooms, and has worked to beautify Old Town Road in Terryville by weeding, picking up litter and by planting flowers for the past several years. He is also now the chamber’s events director.
People can purchase a mailbox package, which includes a mixture of 10 daffodils, namely three crocus, three muscari, three tulips and one alum for $20. People can also support their fellow community members by taking up a “buy one bloom, one for the community package.” These go for $20, $50 and $95 for 20, 50 or 100 daffodil bulbs, respectively.
People can order online or find out more information at pjstchamber.com
Suffolk County Police said they arrested a Yaphank man Friday, Sept. 25 for allegedly stealing items from 13 unlocked vehicles in Shoreham and Wading River during the past month.
For several weeks, residents in the SWR community have complained about an alleged individual stealing items from people’s unlocked cars. A man in a hat and mask was seen in several residents’ security cameras walking up to cars late at night and trying their locks.
During the course of the investigation into larcenies from vehicles since Aug. 30, police said 7th precinct officer Karen Grenia observed the alleged suspect, Patrick Fontaine, 38, in the vicinity of Route 25A at around 7:50 a.m. Fontaine was apprehended a short time later on the grounds of Shoreham-Wading River High School.
Fontaine has previously been arrested in 2015 for a string of robberies in Yaphank.
7th precinct officers, who were assisted by canine section officers, charged Fontaine with 13 counts of petite larceny for stealing items from vehicles at the following locations:
Circle Drive in Shoreham on Aug. 30.
Circle Drive in Shoreham on Aug. 31.
Jomar Road in Shoreham on Sept. 13.
Reynolds Road in Shoreham on Sept. 18.
Frederick Drive in Shoreham on Sept. 18.
John Street in Shoreham between Sept. 18 and Sept. 19.
Royal Way in Shoreham on Sept. 19.
John Street in Shoreham on Sept. 19.
Knight Street in Shoreham on Sept. 19.
Zophar Mills Road in East Shoreham between Sept. 20 and Sept. 21.
Randall Road in Wading River between Sept. 20 and Sept. 21.
Zophar Mills Road in East Shoreham on Sept. 21.
Thomas Drive in Wading River between Sept. 20 and Sept. 21.
Items allegedly stolen included money, electronics, identification and glasses. Fontaine was also charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance and a parole warrant. Police said he will be held overnight at the 7th precinct and is scheduled for arraignment at First District Court in Central Islip Sept. 26.
County Executive Steve Bellone said there could be massive cuts to Suffolk bus routes if they receive no financial aid soon. Photo by Kyle Barr
County Executive Steve Bellone (D) has continued his calls for additional federal funds, now saying bus routes and bus drivers’ positions could be eliminated in the planned county budget to be released within the next week, officials said.
Click the image to see which routes could be cut in your area.
Bellone held a press conference Friday, Sept. 25, saying that cutting 19 bus routes and 25% of paratransit bus availability would result in about $18 million in savings for the county’s 2021 budget. The non paratransit routes, officials said, are equivalent to 2,500 riders a day, according to the pre-pandemic ridership levels. Cuts would impact about 200 daily riders who use the Suffolk County Accessible Transit service, and could also potentially eliminate hundreds of workers’ positions.
The routes themselves are spread out throughout the county, and though officials said those chosen would be busses with overall less ridership, they represent some of the only public transportation for certain areas. The S62, which runs across the North Shore from Riverhead to Hauppauge and is the only bus for places like Shoreham, Rocky Point and Miller Place, would be axed under current plans. The S54, which connects the Patchogue railroad to the Walt Whitman Mall is also in the crosshairs. Together, those routes contain the highest ridership and represent 887 daily riders, according to the county.
All Planned Route Cuts
S54 – 548 riders per day
10B – 45 riders per day
S59 – 90 riders per day
S57 – 139 riders per day
S31 – 12 riders per day
S76 – 36 riders per day
S56 – 89 riders per day
2A – 106 riders per day
7A – 60 riders per day
10C – 85 riders per day
6B – 108 riders per day
S47 – 73 riders per day
8A – 131 riders per day
S62 – 339 riders per day
1A – 63 riders per day
6A – 78 riders per day
S69 – 3 riders per day
2B – 161 riders per day
S23 – 149 riders per day
Other nixed routes include the S76, which connects Stony Brook and Port Jefferson Village and has an estimated 36 daily riders, may also get cut. The S56, which runs in Smithtown from Commack to Lake Grove with around 89 daily riders, could be eliminated as well.
This is all part of an anticipated 2021 county budget that Bellone said will include cuts across the board.
“Washington has failed to act,” Bellone said. “We need Washington to do its job, to do what it’s always done in times of crisis when local communities are hit by unprecedented natural disasters that are beyond the scope and capability of local government can handle.”
The cuts to personnel could be especially devastating, he said, considering many were “essential workers” who did their jobs even during the worst of the pandemic on Long Island. Many hospital and other frontline workers take the bus to work as well.
These planned cuts are despite receiving close to $26.6 million earlier this year in federal aid specifically for public transportation services. Bellone said the money has already been spent or allocated for the current year.
The total operating cost of Suffolk Transit is over $85 million, with more than $43 million being funded by the county, around $29 million from New York State, more than $4.4 million from the federal government, and $8.2 million in fares. Suffolk County estimates it will lose $6.1 million in farebox revenue in 2020, alongside a 20% or $6 million cut in state funding. Bellone’s office reported that the $26 million in federal funds allowed the county to operate the buses as normal during the height of the pandemic.
John Corrado, the president of Suffolk Transportation Services, a private company which operates all the buses used by Suffolk County, said they lost about 40% of ridership during the pandemic, and though numbers are coming back there is no way it can stave off the massive loss in farebox revenue.
In a repeat of last week’s press conference where Bellone announced major cuts to Suffolk County Police, Republicans in the county legislature held a retaliatory press conference of their own that same day. Legislator Rob Trotta (R-Fort Salonga), a member of the legislature’s Public Works, Transportation and Energy Committee, claimed the county is only down $4 million in bus fees. The GOP members of the legislature have constantly attacked Bellone on its financial situation, with officials often citing a 2019 report from the state comptroller calling Suffolk the most fiscally stressed municipality in the state.
Legislator Rob Trotta joined fellow Republicans in denouncing Bellone’s planned bus cuts. Photo by Kyle Barr
“To blame the federal government is a cop out,” Trotta said.
Though that aid that Suffolk received this year must be put towards current budget impacts due to the pandemic, Trotta said the numbers Bellone cited were off, and that the $26 million federal funds could be used now and all the savings could be rolled over into next year.
Though one will have to wait until the final 2021 budget is released before making any claims of what should or should not be cut, Republicans have claimed both this and other cuts to major services are unnecessary considering the CARES Act funding the county has already received to the tune of $257 million, not counting the additional public transit funds. This, they argued, should be enough to cover COVID-related expenses. Republicans said that new money is being used to pay for past financial mismanagement by the county executive.
Though when asked what else could be cut instead of these services, Republican legislators said they would need to see the full budget before making that determination.
Though some legislators admitted there is need for further federal aid, Legislator Anthony Piccirillo (R-Holtsville) suggested the federal government put a watchdog on the county executive to make sure the funds are spent correctly.
In response to the accusation the cuts are not needed, Bellone said since the county pays more than $40 million for the bus system, and though the federal funds have helped, they does not cover what will be a massive $800 million deficit for this year going into next year.
The planned cuts to public transportation would also impact the Suffolk County Accessible Transit buses, otherwise known as SCAT, which hundreds of residents with disabilities rely upon for service in doing things as simple as going to physical therapy or shopping for food. The service allows residents to schedule being picked up and dropped off, and represents one of the few tangible means for those lacking mobility and without personal transport for getting around.
Frank Krotschinsky, the director of the Office for People with Disabilities under the county executive, said “the county has gone above and beyond” in the offerings it has for disabled transport. He added the questions his office most commonly receives are from people asking about transportation.
“The day these cuts are made, people with disabilities will be disproportionately affected,” he said. “We need the federal government to step up to its role.”
The same day as the press conference, Bellone hosted a call with the county executives of Onondaga and Orange upstate counties, both of whom are Republican, in emphasizing the bipartisan need for additional relief from the federal government.
“As we put forward this budget, there is not going to be a part of this budget that involves discretionary spending that will not be impacted by Washington’s failure to act here,” Bellone said.
The planned site for a new office building in Port Jefferson station includes a single building and an empty lot. Photo from Google Maps
Port Jefferson Station, even despite the pandemic, is building up.
Design plans for the new 31,000 square foot medical office building in Port Jefferson Station. Photo from TOB meeting
Brookhaven approved two applications Sept. 17, one for a new 31,000 square feet office building where an existing retail shop stands, and another to add an additionalstructure to an existing medical park, both in Port Jefferson Station.
Applicants from S.W.M LLC, whose principal officer is named as Wayne Rampone Jr., the vice president and co-owner of the Ramp Motors dealership in Port Jefferson Station, were granted a change of zoning on the currently empty 2.3 acre parcel located at 43 Jayne Boulevard. The previous zoning was J-2 Business and B-1 Residential, and is now J-4 Business, allowing for the construction of a $4 million two story, 31,342 square foot medical office building at the site.
Site plans show a frontage of evergreens facing the road, and 165 parking stalls to complement the new structure. The planned building is across the street from Neptune Pools and borders Smith Point Fence to the north and the Fairfield apartment complex to the west.
The other project, one from the M&R Stony Brook medical park located at the corner of Route 112 and Birchwood Drive, was granted a request to revise covenants to extend the second floor space of one existing medical building and create a whole new 20,485 square foot building on the southwest corner of the property. That new building is planned for vacant land that was at one point planned for a bank of a much smaller footprint. Estimated cost for construction is $15 million.
The property is bordered by the Sagamore Hills condominium complex directly to the south.
Developers for both projects went in front of the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Civic Association July 29 during the group’s first in-person meeting in months, held outside the PJS/T chamber train car at the corner of Routes 112 and 347. The civic released letters of no objection for both projects to the town board.
During the meeting, Councilwoman Valerie Cartright (D-Port Jefferson Station) asked the applicant to be reminded of the 30-foot buffer along the western end of the property, where they will eventually plant evergreens as a screen between the new building and Fairfield residents. Attorney for both proposed developments Timothy Shea Jr., of the Hauppauge-based CertilmanBalin law firm, said he had no objection to the requirement.
Conifer’s revised design plans for the Port Jefferson Crossing apartment complex were approved Sept. 17 after multiple design changes over the past several months. Photo from planning board meeting
Port Jeff’s latest apartment complex has the green light to proceed.
The Port Jefferson planning board unanimously agreed to conditionally approve site plans for Port Jefferson Crossing, a new apartment complex developed by regional affordable housing developer Conifer Realty just north of the Port Jeff railroad station along Main Street.
Jen Sigler, PJ village site plan reviewer, showed off the new renderings in the planning board’s Sept. 17 meeting, where designs have changed somewhat from their original June, July and August presentations. Gone are the red facades on the easternmost portion of the planned building, and overall the color is more continuous. The structure will have one type of external brick and windowed element on the first floor facing Main Street, and a second structure that is connected internally strikes out into the sidewalk slightly with so-called “bump outs.” The bottom brick portion on the eastern-most structure has changed to a grey color as well.
Some planning board members still felt lukewarm about some facade changes. Planning board member Laura Zimmerman was especially miffed, saying that the developer’s incremental changes have not done enough to change the overall cold and barren look of the building toward the southeast corner.
“This is a building that’s going to be there for 50 years, or however long it’s going to last,” Zimmerman said.
Kenneth Garvin, an architect for the developer, suggested they could add more character to the southeast tower on the wraparound.
Current plans cite the three-story complex will have 45 units in total, 37 one-bedroom apartments and eight two-bedroom apartments. The complex will also offer over 3,100 square feet of retail space. There are plans for a covered parking garage of 48 stalls for residents, a community room, laundry facilities and a gym.
The board has also asked that the developer give the planning board greater detail and a better price-by-price point for specific costs on the project, though they did approve the developer’s bond amount at the estimated $1,177,947. The board will need to amend the application approval at a later date figure if additional budgetary details are later considered.
The developer had originally asked for a waiver on a payment in lieu of parking and a parkland fee, but the planning board has kicked the decision over to the board of trustees who will make that determination.
Alison LaPointe, the special village attorney for the Building and Planning Department, said the normal PILOP fee is set at $4,000 per space in the C-2 district thanks to a village resolution in 2018, though the parkland fee is set on a case-by-case basis.
“It is common procedure for the planning board to request a proposed fee amount from the applicant and then upon review the planning board either asks for adjustments to the amount or approves,” she clarified in an email.
Once the number is approved the owner then has to secure bond documents, which are then reviewed by the village attorney, where upon approval the bond documents are executed.
Mayor Margot Garant confirmed in the village board’s Sept. 21 meeting that the board and developer would need to discuss a recreation fee in short order, which depends on the number of apartments and scope of the overall project.
The village still has to work with PSEG on the location of a utility box and utility lines. Port Jefferson has worked with the developer in establishing the creation of Station Street, which is planned to be a one-way road that provides entry to the adjacent parking lots just north of the train station parking lot and just before the initial footprint for the proposed development.
LaPointe said the costs for Station Street are being shared between the village and developer. The Villages portion of Station street is funded with Restore NY grant funds at a 50-50 match. Certain contributions such as curbing from the applicant are to be partially financed by a state grant received in 2016.
Mount Sinai High School. File photo by Barbara Donlon
Mount Sinai Superintendent Gordon Brosdal announced Thursday afternoon in a call to parents that the entire campus would be closed Friday, Sept. 25 after a high school student tested positive for COVID-19.
The Mount Sinai High School Student was in cohort A, which goes to in-person classes on Monday and Tuesday, according to school board trustee Ed Law in a post to social media. The student has siblings in both the elementary and middle schools, so the district announced it was being cautious and closing all schools for Friday.
All students will be using remote learning that day.
On Monday schools will be closed in observance of Yom Kippor. The district said students are planned to return to school Tuesday, Sept. 29.
Dr. Mark L. Cherches, of Port Jefferson, died Sept. 18. He was 85.
Dr. Mark Cherches
The well-known area dentist was born Sept. 22, 1934 in the Bronx. After graduating from New York University College of Dentistry in 1959, he served in the U.S. Army as a captain and was stationed in Fort Knox, Kentucky.
He moved to Rocky Point in 1962, and then moved to Port Jefferson in 1969.
Dr. Cherches practiced dentistry in both Rocky Point and Port Jefferson for 55 years. He was fiercely devoted to his patients and provided dental education programs to both the Rocky Point and Port Jefferson school districts.
Dr. Cherches was a past recipient of TBR News Media’s Person of the Year award for Health and Medicine and received the Theodore Roosevelt Award from St. Charles Hospital for his extraordinary commitment and volunteerism to the hospital.
For decades, he donated his time as director of the dental residency program at St. Charles Hospital and as a supervising dentist at the Cleft Palate Clinic at St. Charles. He was also on staff at John T. Mather Memorial Hospital, now called Mather Hospital.
He was an active member of the Port Jefferson Lions Club for over 55 years and was an active member of the North Shore Jewish Center since 1962. He was an avid skier, golfer, tennis player, bicyclist, photographer, boater and fisherman. He had a lifelong passion for learning.Later in life, he volunteered his time to the Long Island Veterans Home in Stony Brook.
Cherches was preceded in death by his wife, Shirley. He is survived by his son, Gary (Kate); his son, Eric (Barbara); and by his two beloved granddaughters, Joanna and Carly. He is also survived by his beloved sister, Helen Weissman; and by many loving nieces and nephews.
Arrangements were entrusted to Beth Shalom Memorial Chapels in Smithtown, and internment took place at Washington Memorial Park. Donations in Dr. Cherches’ memory can be made to North Shore Jewish Center or to the Dental Clinic at St. Charles Hospital.
The statue of St. Charles outside the hospital. Photo by Marilyn Fabbricante
So much attention has been paid to the people who come down with COVID-19, the inability to breath, being put on a ventilator and the struggle to deal with the massive influx of patients seen just a few short months ago.
Laura Beck, the VP of rehab at St. Charles, says they have taken what they learned from other rehab programs and used them for COVID patients. Photo from St. Charles
However, not nearly as much focus has been paid to those who struggled and survived the ordeal, particularly those with lasting health impacts.
That’s something St. Charles Hospital is trying to rectify with a new Post COVID Rehabilitation Program, which offers physical therapy for those who are still feeling the health impacts of living with the virus.
The rehab program officially started Sept. 7, and currently has two people starting their recovery. Hospital rehab officials said they are hosting evaluations with more people to initiate them into the group setting.
Laura Beck, St. Charles’ vice president of rehabilitation, said there is very little available data that discusses exactly what are the health impacts of people after they’ve already suffered through the virus, but anecdotally, people have described profound muscle weakness, joint pain and many issues with patients’ ability to breath, even long after they have come off a ventilator. One study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association back in July, showed that close to 87% of hospitalized COVID patients reported lingering symptoms for two months or more after the fact.
Building off the rehabilitation program the hospital has for pulmonary patients, St. Charles has designed the new COVID rehab with the same mindset.
“The most frequently reported symptom that does exist is shortness of breath and fatigue, followed by joint pain,” she said. “All three of those things are frequently addressed by physical therapy, and were commonly addressed in our pulmonary rehab program. We had the staff and experience to address these things.”
Post-COVID patients are given an initial evaluation and then are put into a group setting to be treated by a physical therapist, similar to what St. Charles does in other rehab settings. Toward the end of each patients’ time they are given another quality of life assessment as well as an endurance test to see how much they improve physically.
A few outpatient care facilities have launched post-COVID rehabilitation, but St. Charles is one of the first major hospitals on Long Island to offer an in-house clinic in a traditional group setting.
How many physical therapists eventually get involved depends on how large the program becomes. Currently the class size is kept small to try and space people out and adhere to social distancing. For patients that cannot tolerate a group program, Beck said they do plan to offer a more one-on-one situation until they can be put into the full exercise class.
Director of St. Charles’s Rehabilitation Services Pattianne Ruppel said most likely people who are feeling lasting effects of COVID are older, though that’s not always the case. Those who were young and/or asymptomatic likely wouldn’t feel any lasting symptoms.
Because so little is known about what are the true lasting health effects from being crippled by the coronavirus, the St. Charles officials in charge of rehabilitation said this is also a chance to start gathering data on what is common amongst post-COVID patients. If they get enough people in the program, the St. Charles officials said they could even look to put out their own information.
“We would all love to say that some time in the future we won’t need this program,” Ruppel said. “We still see people with these lasting respiratory symptoms, so I definitely see a need for sure.”
Suffolk County District Attorney Tim Sini. File photo by Alex Petroski
The Suffolk County District Attorney Wednesday released a massive indictment of 13 individuals and several companies for allegedly conspiring to defraud using fake identities.
In what’s called a synthetic identity fraud scheme, the defendants are charged in a 108 count indictment of using stolen social security numbers to obtain over $1 Million from fraudulent loans and credit card accounts from financial institutions.
The indictment was announced in a press conference held Sept. 23 with DA Tim Sini and Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart. The investigation started in August, 2018 when a member of the DA’s financial investigations started tracking a suspect of identity fraud at several banks and credit unions on Long Island. They would eventually discover the defendants allegedly created more than 20 identities and obtained loans and credit accounts from 19 different institutions. They said the investigation was conducted alongside the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, California police and DAs as well as several credit bureaus. The investigation is still ongoing, Sini said.
Of the 13 individuals charged, Viki Osredkar, 35 of East Northport, was charged with multiple counts of grand larceny, falsifying business records and scheme to defraud. Osredkar is one of 10 from Long Island to be charged by a grand jury.
An additional three companies have been charged with money laundering. District Attorney Tim Sini said all these companies are owned by the same individual, Adam Arena, 43, of Corona, California.
“Some of the people involved in this scheme had strong financial backgrounds and recruited individuals who were down on their luck, offering them cash, for assistance in this operation,” Hart said in a release. “Together, they stole more than a million dollars but fortunately, our dedicated team unraveled their plot and are holding the perpetrators accountable.”
The crime goes like this: participants would allegedly create synthetic identities by associating a stolen social security number with a different name, address and date of birth. The social security numbers usually involved children, recent immigrants, elderly or anyone else not likely to monitor their credit history.
Perpetrators would allegedly make the identities more legitimate by applying for phone accounts, email records, library cards and more. They would then allegedly build credit for the fake identities. Using that credit, they would take out loans and credit card accounts. They would use this credit to the maximum amount allowed but the balances would never be paid.
Among the banks the individuals allegedly defrauded included State Farm, USAA, Suffolk Federal Credit Union, Teachers Federal Credit Union among many others.
“This is an extremely complex crime and it can be very difficult to identify the perpetrators, but the team who is investigating and prosecuting this case meticulously followed the evidence and unraveled this scheme, which has far-reaching impacts on everyday citizens,” Sini said in a release. “We will seek justice for all of the victims — both the financial institutions that have been defrauded and the individual victims whose identities were stolen by these criminals.”
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