Police & Fire

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Pixabay photo

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced on March 1 the guilty plea of Ivan A. Inoasuero, 31, of Manhattan, for his role in a scam in which two elderly Suffolk County residents received phone calls where they were falsely informed that their grandchildren had been arrested in a different jurisdiction and they needed to send large sums of money to post their bail immediately.

Ivan Inoasuero. Photo from Suffolk County DA’s office

“Since taking office in January of last year, I have been shocked and dismayed to see the degree in which fraudsters are targeting our elderly residents to steal money,” said District Attorney Tierney. “If you target the elderly in Suffolk County and fraudulently steal their money, you will be held responsible and required to pay back the money you stole.”

According to the investigation and the defendant’s admissions during his guilty plea allocution, Inoasuero posed as a bail bondsman and came to the Smithtown home of the first victim in April 2021 to pick up $15,000 where the elderly woman believed she was posting bail for her grandson. Inosuero again posed as a bail bondsman in December 2021 when he met a Stony Brook resident at MacArthur Airport to pick up $20,000 where again, the elderly man believed he was posting bail for his grandson.

On March 1,  Inoasuero pleaded guilty to Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a Class D felony. He is due back in court on April 26 for sentencing. Inoasuero will be required to pay restitution back to the victims and if he does not, he faces up to two and a half to seven years in prison.

Criminal complaints and indictments are merely accusatory instruments. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. No one is above the law.

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Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced on March 1 that Melanie I. Bergstedt, 47, of Commack pleaded guilty to Grand Larceny in the Second Degree for allegedly embezzling approximately $250,000 from a local summer camp during the course of her employment there.

Melanie Bergstedt

“This defendant placed her own greed above the welfare of children by stealing money earmarked for a summer camp and pocketed it for her own personal use,” said District Attorney Tierney. “If you steal from local businesses, you are also harming the Suffolk County community at large. Accordingly, you will be held to account for your actions and legally forced to repay the money you stole.”

According to court documents and the defendant’s admissions during her guilty plea allocution, between 2016 and 2020, Bergstedt admitted she knowingly and intentionally stole money by diverting payments made by customers into other bank accounts during the course of her employment at the local summer camp, headquartered in Commack. The bank accounts were opened under similar names as the camp without the owner’s knowledge or permission in an effort to conceal the theft and to use those funds for her own personal benefit.

Bergstedt is required to pay restitution to the victim and if she does not, she faces up to three to 15 years in prison. She is due back in court for sentencing on May 8.

Criminal complaints and indictments are merely accusatory instruments. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. No one is above the law.

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Do you recognize this man? Photo from SCPD

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Fourth Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the man who allegedly stole from an Islandia store in January. 

A man allegedly stole multiple pairs of shoes from Famous Footwear, located at 1770 Veterans Memorial Highway, at approximately 12:45 p.m. on January 5. The items had an approximate value of $500.

 Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about these incidents can contact Suffolk County Crime Stoppers to submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-220-TIPS, utilizing a mobile app which can be downloaded through the App Store or Google Play by searching P3 Tips, or online at www.P3Tips.com. All calls, text messages and emails will be kept confidential.  

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Suffolk County police car. File photo
Photo from SCPD

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Second Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate two people who allegedly stole merchandise from a Melville store this month.

A man and woman allegedly stole two baseball gloves from Dick’s Sporting Goods, located at 870 Walt Whitman Road, on February 15 at approximately 5:30 p.m. The merchandise was valued at approximately $600. The suspects fled in a gray Kia Soul. 

 Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about these incidents can contact Suffolk County Crime Stoppers to submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-220-TIPS, utilizing a mobile app which can be downloaded through the App Store or Google Play by searching P3 Tips, or online at www.P3Tips.com. All calls, text messages and emails will be kept confidential.  

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Do you recognize this man? Photo from SCPD

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Sixth Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the man who allegedly stole merchandise from a Medford store. 

A man allegedly stole five packages of Tide laundry detergent pods from Lowe’s, located at 2796 Route 112, on February 14 at approximately 9:55 a.m.  

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about these incidents can contact Suffolk County Crime Stoppers to submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-220-TIPS, utilizing a mobile app which can be downloaded through the App Store or Google Play by searching P3 Tips, or online at www.P3Tips.com. All calls, text messages and emails will be kept confidential.  

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Do you recognize this man? Photo from SCPD

Just released! Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Fourth Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate a man who allegedly stole from a Commack store in December. 

A man allegedly stole a circulator pump from Lowe’s, located at 100 North Service Road, at 5:43 p.m. on December 28. The man left the scene in a white BMW sedan. 

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about these incidents can contact Suffolk County Crime Stoppers to submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-220-TIPS, utilizing a mobile app which can be downloaded through the App Store or Google Play by searching P3 Tips, or online at www.P3Tips.com. All calls, text messages and emails will be kept confidential.  

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Do you recognize this woman? Photo from SCPD

Just released! Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Fourth Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the woman who allegedly stole from a Lake Grove store in October of last year. 

A woman allegedly stole clothes from Macy’s, located at 2 Smith Haven Mall on October 30, 2022. The items were valued at approximately $390. 

 Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about these incidents can contact Suffolk County Crime Stoppers to submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-220-TIPS, utilizing a mobile app which can be downloaded through the App Store or Google Play by searching P3 Tips, or online at www.P3Tips.com. All calls, text messages and emails will be kept confidential.  

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Do you recognize this woman? Photo from SCPD

Photo from SCPD

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Riverhead Town Police are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the woman who allegedly stole an identity to make purchases from a Riverhead store in January.

A woman allegedly used personal information belonging to a woman in upstate New York to open a credit line with Best Buy. The suspect used the credit line to purchase several electronics valued at approximately $2,650 from the store, located at 1440 Old Country Road, on January 16. 

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about these incidents can contact Suffolk County Crime Stoppers to submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-220-TIPS, utilizing a mobile app which can be downloaded through the App Store or Google Play by searching P3 Tips, or online at www.P3Tips.com. All calls, text messages and emails will be kept confidential.  

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Do you recognize this couple? Photo from SCPD

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Sixth Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate two people who allegedly stole merchandise from a Selden store this month.

A man and woman allegedly stole two scooters and additional items from Target, located at 107 Independence Plaza, on February 20 at 5:40 p.m. The merchandise was valued at approximately $350. 

 Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about these incidents can contact Suffolk County Crime Stoppers to submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-220-TIPS, utilizing a mobile app which can be downloaded through the App Store or Google Play by searching P3 Tips, or online at www.P3Tips.com. All calls, text messages and emails will be kept confidential.  

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Suffolk County Police Arson Section detectives are investigating a residential fire that occurred in Setauket on Tuesday morning, February 28.

Sixth Precinct officers responded to 19 Franko Lane after a 911 report of a fire at 1 a.m. The Setauket Fire Department arrived at the scene and extinguished the blaze. Five residents of the house were transported to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

The cause of the fire is under investigation but it does not appear to be suspicious at this time.