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Times of Smithtown

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Photo by Raymond Janis

Environmental matters

I was delighted to see John Turner’s new column (“Living Lightly”) in the Arts & Lifestyles section, Feb. 15. Mr. Turner is a well-regarded figure in the environmental movement on Long Island, and his contribution to your paper in the form of a column of practical advice for a more Earth-friendly lifestyle is greatly appreciated.

All too often, we fall into a funk of inaction regarding the overwhelming challenges of the environmental crisis. It can seem quite impossible for any one person to effect change when the problems we are facing are so huge. Mr. Turner’s column will hopefully look at, and remind us all, of the simple choices we can make as individuals to move toward a cleaner and healthier planet.

On the theme of a cleaner and healthier planet, I was also very pleased to see your Feb. 15 editorial on the future of the Town of Brookhaven landfill [“Where does Brookhaven’s garbage go from here?”]. I’m astounded that the town makes no significant effort to inform its populace of future plans regarding the landfill. Similarly, the town’s general lack of communication about waste collection is baffling. We could all use a little guidance about how best to sort recyclable plastics and metals, for instance. Helpful hints about reusable plastics and disposal of organic and inorganic waste, provided on a regular basis by mail, email and/or press releases would go a long way toward generating trust and pride among Brookhaven’s residents.

Douglas Baldwin

Sound Beach

Port Jeff school board needs three candidates to assess the future 

Good day Port Jefferson School District parents, it is decision time! 

Since I left the Board of Education in 2006 the educational quality of our district has been in a freefall (see The Washington Post surveys). 

Parents need to put forward three candidates for the board who will look closely at the state of the district and make decisions based on the educational needs of your kids.

 You can do this! America is about intelligent people — and Port Jefferson School District has an abundance — stepping forward and bringing their skills to a collective entity, the Board of Education, for the best outcomes for our kids.  

 The current board seems obsessed with the needs of the lacrosse team. Millions have been proposed to this end — and rejected by residents. Educational opportunities for your kids have been decimated over the years.

 Do we want to: 

Keep the Port Jefferson schools the way they are?

Merge with the Three Village school district — assuming Three Village is of like mind? (Merge in total or merge at the high school level only.)

Or tuition our kids to the Three Village district – sending only our high school kids to Three Village.

You must gather together for your kids. There are people who will support you for election and as a board member. The future is in your hands if you do not let it slip through your fingers. Talk among yourselves. You have the people who can lead!

Bruce Miller

Port Jefferson

 

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Pixabay photo

By Sabrina Artusa

In January, the Nassau and Suffolk counties police departments, the New York City Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation formed a task force designed to tackle burglaries and thefts across Long Island. The collaboration, “a multijurisdictional burglary and stolen car task force,” as described by Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman (R) at the conference announcement in January, is the result of criminals crossing county and state lines. 

In Suffolk, 1,471 vehicles were reported stolen in 2022, up 20.8% from the 1,218 taken in 2021 — the most since nearly 1,600 cars and trucks were swiped in 2010, Newsday reports.

At a recent civic meeting in Port Jefferson Station, Suffolk County Police Department provided a COPE report from Jan. 23 to Feb. 27 for the respective area. Officier Efstathiou provide the report stating, “Out of the four grand larcenies [for this area] two were related to stolen vehicles. A Honda and a Hyundai right out of one’s driveway and one in front of one’s house both with no keys. Both still not recovered.” 

In September 2022, Hochul announced a five-step plan to combat the increasing numbers of car thefts across New York. 

“Too many New Yorkers have experienced the shock of waking up to an empty driveway … that is why we are supporting local law enforcement to prosecute and prevent these thefts,” she said.

Last month Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) reported that the DMV recovered 286 vehicles worth $8.6 million in 2023 under the Comprehensive Auto-Theft Reduction Strategy. A total of 142 were recovered in New York City and 42 on Long Island.

Kias and Hyundais are mainly being targeted, Hochul announced in September. After videos exposing how to steal these cars started circulating on social media, Hyundais and Kias remain most vulnerable. However, both companies have developed upgrades to offset the thefts.

“There was a big spike … a lot of it is associated with the COVID pandemic … crime surged, not only in New York, but all across the nation,” Hochul said. 

While it is true the national rate of motor vehicle theft in 2022 was the highest it has been since 2008, it is undetermined what role the pandemic played in this change. 

Part of Hochul’s five-part plan was to implement harsher punishments, fund more advanced technology for law enforcement, increase intervention or preventative programs for at-risk youth and to strengthen the prosecution of cases dealing with vehicle theft. She also sent a letter with Mark Schroeder, state Department of Motor Vehicles commissioner, to Kia and Hyundai owners, informing them of their vehicles’ susceptibility.

“Fortunately, there are some common-sense steps you can take to help prevent your car from being stolen, such as always locking your car doors and parking in well-lit areas,” the letter reads. “In addition, Kia and Hyundai have agreed to provide tools to strengthen your car’s anti-theft protections, including a software update and a window sticker.”

In November, state Sen. Jeremy Cooney (D-Rochester) proposed the Car Theft Prevention Act to counter the rising rates of car thefts. In Rochester, more than 3,800 motor vehicle thefts were reported in 2023. That number is nearly three times the total in 2022, which itself was a record year. 

This new bill adds the felony offenses of criminal possession of stolen property in the first through fourth degrees as bail-qualified offenses. 

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By Emma Gutmann

First-time homebuyers in the Suffolk County Home Consortium have until this coming Friday, March 1, to apply for the Down Payment Assistance Program. If approved, an essentially zero-interest deferred loan of up to $30,000 will be provided toward the down payment of an owner-occupied, single-family residence. According to the program guidelines, deferred loans “are forgiven after 10 years.” 

The Down Payment Assistance Program is designed to combat a recurring and ever-so-prevalent theme Long Islanders are facing — affordability. As an island with limited space that’s adjacent to the high-cost major metropolis of New York City, it stands as one of the highest taxed regions in the nation, making it challenging for young people, retired people and others to live comfortably and own property.

Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine (R) announced Feb. 21 that the assistance fund still has $167,000 left, and there is about $2 million in additional U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development funding that could be partially funneled into the program as needed. Romaine encourages prospective homebuyers to apply and touts the down payment assistance as an auxiliary toward the American Dream.

 “I am enthusiastic about the prospect of assisting many more individuals and families in Suffolk County achieve the American Dream of home ownership,” Romaine said. “Previously we were able to offer up to $14,000 per homeowner, and this year I am proud to say that we were able to increase that amount to $30,000 per homeowner. Together let us build a brighter future for our communities through the power of homeownership.”

Even with the smaller grants of previous years, the program has been able to bring many families and homes together following its launch in 1993. Since January 2018, a total of $630,000 has been paid out on 48 closings.

In order to be eligible, applicants must be first-time homebuyers, meaning that the household has not owned a home during the three years prior to the purchase of a primary residence. This requirement will be waived for U.S. military veterans with a DD-214. 

It is also necessary that the household income is low to moderate, with a minimum allowable income of $40,000 and a maximum dependent on the household size and the area median annual household income. A chart laying out the 2023 HUD income guidelines can be found on the application (at scdownpayment.com).

Residences must be single-family homes, condominiums or cooperative apartments to be deemed eligible. The maximum appraised value of an existing home cannot exceed $532,000 and a newly constructed home cannot exceed $555,000. 

Finally, the applicant must agree to occupy this property as their principal residence for at least 10 years and have sufficient financial resources and credit to qualify for a mortgage. Each individual named on the mortgage must attend a mortgage counseling session at a HUD-certified not-for-profit housing agency. 

The funds will be provided to the recipient by Suffolk County at the closing, and the buyer will be responsible for the rest of the down payment as well as closing costs.

Rosanne D’Agostino, associate broker at Douglas Elliman Real Estate, asserts that down payment assistance can be very beneficial to the buyer both before and after closing. In an email interview, she explained that this tool can help buyers get into a property and possibly even afford renovations with the money saved. This opportunity is especially fortuitous considering that the prices of Long Island homes have increased significantly over the past few years.

“The only downside is that it can be more time-consuming, potentially adding a few weeks to the sale process. However, in the end, buyers are able to receive monies they would not have otherwise had and extend their budgets,” D’Agostino said.

The associate broker mentioned that much of the inventory on the Island exceeds the maximum appraised home values aforementioned in the guidelines. As a result, the program serves as a boon to many but not a given for all cases. “I do hope that grants like this continue to be options, so that it can open more possibilities for people who hold the goal of being homeowners,” she added.

According to the program guidelines, “Applicants must purchase a home within the Suffolk County Consortium HOME Selection Area.” This includes the townships of Huntington and Smithtown, but not Brookhaven, which “does not participate in the Suffolk County HOME Consortium of municipalities.” 

For a chance at a smoother path to the American Dream, visit scdownpayment.com to download an application and submit to the portal by March 1.

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Smithtown East senior Ben Haug drives the lane in the Suffolk Class AA semi-finals. Photo by Bill Landon
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Smithtown East senior Ben Haug drives the lane in the Suffolk Class AA semi-finals. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown East sophomore Craig O’Neill lays up for two in the Suffolk Class AA semi-finals. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown West sophomore Michael Cascione drives the lane in the Suffolk Class AA semi-finals. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown West sophomore Michael Cascione scores in the Suffolk Class AA semi-finals. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown West sophomore Michael Cascione fights his way to the rim in the Suffolk Class AA semi-finals. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown West forward John Giotis lays up for two in the Suffolk Class AA semi-finals. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown East forward John Armes fights his way to the rim in the Suffolk Class AA semi-finals. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown West senior Jack Melore banks two in the Suffolk Class AA semi-finals. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown West sophomore Michael Cascione fights his way to the rim in the Suffolk Class AA semi-finals. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown West senior Jack Melore hits a three-pointer in the Suffolk Class AA semi-finals. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown West senior forward Ben Rappa scores in the Suffolk Class AA semi-finals. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown West senior Matt Bannell scores in the Suffolk Class AA semi-finals. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown West senior Jack Melore fights his way to the rim in the Suffolk Class AA semi-finals. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown East senior Will Tufo banks two in the Suffolk Class AA semi-finals. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown East senior Michael Derosa drains a three-pointer in the Suffolk Class AA semi-finals. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown East forward Tom Fanning lays up in the Suffolk Class AA semi-finals. Photo by Bill Landon

By Bill Landon

Smithtown East was hoping three times would be the charm when they faced their crosstown rival Smithtown West in the Class AA semifinal round at Longwood High School Feb. 27. East fell to West by 14 points in January, then nine points Feb. 5, and was hoping to upset the No. 1 seed when the score was 14 all at the end of eight minutes of play. Smithtown West showed why they’re the top seed as they stretched their legs the rest of the way running away to win the game 74-47 and, with it, punched their ticket to the county final round.

Ben Rappa along with Michael Cascione topped the scoring chart for Smithtown West netting 16 points apiece, Jack Melore added 14 and Matt Bannell netted 12.

Craig O’Neill led Smithtown East in scoring with 11 points, Ben Haug netted nine and Tom Fanning added eight.

Smithtown West (No.1) returns to Longwood High School Saturday, March 2, where they will face Half Hollow Hills East (No. 2) in the county championship title round. Game time is slated for 2:30 p.m.

— Photos by Bill Landon

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James Burton goes for loose ball for the Bulls. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Bobby Eck handles double team from Hauppauge. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Smithtown East vs. Hauppauge Eagles. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Smithtown East vs. Hauppauge Eagles. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Gjon Lleshaj controls the ball in the paint. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Smithtown East vs. Hauppauge Eagles. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Smithtown East vs. Hauppauge Eagles. Photo by Steven Zaitz

By Steve Zaitz

Led by senior guard Benjamin Haug’s 24 points, the Smithtown East boys basketball team beat their rivals to the south, the Hauppauge Eagles, 65-49 on Feb. 24 in the first round of the Suffolk County, Class AA playoffs.

The Bulls, the fourth seed, improve to 16-5 and got  the opportunity to face an even fiercer rival – the number one seed Smithtown West Bulls.

In their win over the Eagles, Smithtown East rode a 19-3 second period to establish a commanding lead after a close first quarter. They took a 37-18 lead into halftime as Haug boasted 11 points and senior big man James Burton had 9 at the break.

Hauppauge junior guard Cole Wood hit three three-pointers in the second half and the fifth-seeded Eagles cut the lead to 11 late in the third quarter, but they never got any closer.  Wood finished with 17 points.

Breaking news

Smithtown West handily defeated Smithtown East in the semi-finals on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 74-47 and will face Half Hollow Hills East for the Class AA championship on March 2.

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METRO photo

Buying a house should not be a pipe dream, but it has become more and more unrealistic for Long Island residents.

Even if extra houses and apartments are built, one issue has become painfully clear — home properties are too expensive for many Long Island residents. According to OneKey MLS, the median sales price of a home in Suffolk County in January 2024 was $600,000, an annual increase of 9.1%.

This leaves many different residents with the difficult question of whether or not to leave their beloved hometowns to move to a more affordable place, or even try to buy a home here in the first place.

If young couples cannot afford to start a family here, then there is a potential that school districts are impacted, whether losing funds due to lack of enrollment or having to shutter their doors completely.

Naturally, this problem doesn’t just end at school districts. Our small businesses need the local population to not just shop, but to work. Yet the state minimum wage of $16 per hour does not even come close to being high enough for people to realistically afford a mortgage or rent payments. According to the MIT Living Wage Calculator, two working adults would need to make $19.85 an hour each in order to have a living wage — and that’s before having one child, which would then bring it up to $29.60 with both working. The required annual income before taxes, with both adults working, is $82,580, rising to $123,139 with one child. 

This is why programs, such as Suffolk County’s Down Payment Assistance Program, are necessary to secure the future of our towns. The program could provide eligible first-time homebuyers with up to $30,000 for a down payment for a single-family residence that they must live in for at least 10 years. 

While this may just be for the down payment, it can potentially still help couples from falling into the trap of becoming “house poor,” a situation in which a large amount of a person’s income has to go to paying bills covering their home, not leaving them enough money for other obligations and needs.

Furthermore, it is important to remember that young couples are not the only ones who are impacted by Long Island’s unaffordability. Adults aged 60 and over account for roughly 20 percent of Suffolk County’s population according to a 2022 report from the Suffolk County Office for the Aging. Many find themselves having to retire elsewhere, forcing them to leave behind decades of relationships and memories in exchange for more affordable prices.

Overall, the Down Payment Assistance Program is a great step toward keeping Long Island affordable, but a systemic change seems increasingly necessary to stop everyone, across all age demographics, from being forced to choose between affordable housing and a neighborhood they love.

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Photo courtesy Ed Flood's Facebook page

By Aramis Khosronejad

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “in 2022 U.S. greenhouse gas emissions totaled 6,341.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents, and 5,487.0 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents after accounting for sequestration from the land sector.” In the wake of these statistics, New York State has been searching for a way to help decrease these concerning figures.

As an aid to the process, New York’s governor, Kathy Hochul (D), presented a new mandate this past September. The state mandate will require zero-emission new school bus purchases by 2027 and for school districts to operate zero-emission school buses only by 2035.

Although on the surface the use of electric vehicles seems like an efficient and smart way of reducing our greenhouse gas contribution to the global community, there are some drawbacks and consequences that state Assemblyman Ed Flood (R-Port Jefferson) as well as other state politicians have pointed out. 

Local state senators, Assembly members, fire safety and school officials gathered Feb. 25 at Levittown bus depot to a “Push the Brakes” rally on the state’s electric school bus mandate.

Flood categorized the conflicts that could arise with this new mandate in two simple categories: economic issues and the alarming lack of reliability. 

According to Flood, we need only look at the numbers to be able to reach the conclusion that the economic setbacks of a mandate such as this would be potentially devastating to the academic capabilities of many school districts within New York state. To successfully and fully implement these zero-emission buses it would take “roughly $20 billion” to do so, he said.

Flood and other elected officials have also been vocal regarding the proposed state-aid school budget cuts listed in the governor’s budget proposal earlier this year. School districts will have to cut programs, camps and other academic activities and opportunities for districts whose budgets would be affected by these cuts. 

Additionally, Flood has a concern for an increase in taxes if the bus mandate were to be carried through — he said that taxes in New York are already extreme without the addition of this new bus expenditure. Also, there has to be consideration for the cost of the establishment of charging stations for the buses, compounded by the stations’ running costs. 

Another heavy consequence of the implementation of these new fleets of buses, and what Flood argues is significantly more important, is the question of their reliability. The most important question for Flood is “What steps are we taking to ensure the safety of our children and these bus drivers?” 

It has already been observed in cities where e-buses are already in place such as San Francisco and Chicago that their batteries have problems with severe temperature fluctuations. Flood points out how the EV batteries can die quickly and may not prove efficient. In addition, EV batteries are prone to catch fire and are notoriously difficult to put out. If this were to happen while one of the buses was in use, Flood claimed that we’d be “looking at the loss of lives.” 

Flood provided a potential solution to these doubts over bus batteries by bringing up the idea that “having a backup system in place could address this issue” even if this backup uses carbon. “We need a more powerful EV source than the one we have,” he said.

The main belief that Flood carried was “not saying we shouldn’t be aiming for these goals but we’re trying so hard to be the global leaders in EV that we’re looking over the health and safety concerns that it’s going to cause to all these communities.” 

According to Flood, if there were a delay to this mandate, there would be sufficient time for all these concerns to be addressed and handled properly. Then, zero-emission buses would be safe to push into New York school districts, and we could do our part in making sure our planet suffers a little less. 

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Pixabay photo

By Daniel Dunaief

Daniel Dunaief

Even if you haven’t read the books, the way I did with my son when he was considerably younger, you probably have heard of the series “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” right?

It occurred to me to ponder the possibility of a diary of an old(er) man. To that end, here’s my first installment and, no, I’m not going to start with “Dear Diary.”

I woke up this morning and I thought, hmm, my foot doesn’t hurt. What a delightful change! And then I stepped on the floor and I was wrong. My foot, which has been bothering me for a few weeks is still painful, despite the pleasant young doctor less than half my age examining it. The friendly technicians, who sent a jargon filled assessment to my electronic account, recognized that there was swelling and suggested a couple of possible options without a definitive diagnosis or conclusion.

Then, an assistant for my doctor called to schedule a time to review my results. She suggested he’d be available some time next week. Next week??? I gasped and tried not to become irrational or overwrought.

“But my foot hurts now. Is there anyone, like, maybe a nurse, who might be able to call me and tell me what to do for the pain or who can provide a first interpretation sooner than a week?”

I used the word “like” to sound younger, even as I was playing the older-man-in-pain card. Unfortunately, it didn’t teleport me to the front of the line.

“Oh, I’ll see what I can do,” she offered, transmitting a Mona Lisa-style tone through the phone line. Is that a smirk behind your voice? Is that the equivalent of a customer disservice line that says “we’re experiencing higher than normal call volumes and we’ll get to you when we can.”

The day passed without any calls from her, from a nurse, or from a doctor. Then, I thought about the people I used to be responsible for on an ongoing basis. How were they doing? Why hadn’t they called? Oh, right, they’re living their lives which is what my wife and I always wanted for them.

I hoped no news was good news, but no news is sometimes no news, until it makes a sudden transition to something that requires support and help or that merits cheerleading.

After reading through emails, I made some work calls. When reaching out to someone I didn’t know and leaving a message, I spelled my name, using the same “N” for Nancy, “E” for Edgar and “F” for Frank that I heard my father say so many times.

How much time in my life have I spent spelling my vowel-heavy name to someone? Realistically, the chance of the letters making it onto the paper in the right order or, more likely, into an electronic message is remote. More often than not, when someone says my name back to me, I say, “yes, that’s right,” even if they “dun arf” or “do vanoff.”

After I checked a few things off the personal and professional list, I scurried over to the gym, where people much younger than I lifted the weight of small Volkswagens, while others did the kind of abdominal exercises that I’d never attempted or considered. As I watched, trying not to let my jaw drop too far, my stomach hurt, signaling to my brain that I shouldn’t even think about trying those exercises … ever!

Later that night, my wife and I took a friend to a local sporting event, where it was cool enough to require a sweatshirt.

Following behind two people using canes as they walked, our friend asked if I thought a cane might help and, if so, whether he should take one from the men in front of us. I smiled and told him that wouldn’t be necessary.

As we approached our seats, a young woman said the two words associated with the name on the front of my sweatshirt, which advertised our son’s school. Three steps past her, I registered what she said and remembered what I was wearing. I considered turning around, but the moment had passed.

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Hon. A. Gail Prudenti

By Leah S. Dunaief

Leah Dunaief,
Publisher

Continuing the kickoff for Women’s History Month in March, we have welcomed the Honorable A. Gail Prudenti, formerly the Chief Administrator of the Courts in New York State, to our podcast this week. And we are marking the passing of Black History Month, held annually every February, with a tribute to “the father of Black history,” the late Carter G. Woodson.

Prudenti distinguished herself early by graduating with honors from Marymount College in Tarrytown, then going on to law school at the University of Aberdeen School of Law.

Her career in Suffolk  County began when she clerked for Surrogate Judge Ernest Signorelli, then worked for the Suffolk district attorney for two years. After a ten-year stint in private practice, Prudenti became special counsel for the New York Police and Fire Widows’ and Children’s Benefit Fund, then ran for public office. Elected in 1991 to the New York Supreme Court while still in her 30s, she served there for four years.

Prudenti then became the Suffolk surrogate judge, the first female elected to this position. Concurrently she was acting New York Supreme Court justice. Then, in 1999, she was appointed as the Tenth Judicial District, Suffolk County administrative judge, the first New York surrogate to serve as a district administrative judge.

After serving on the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, she was named presiding justice of the Appellate Division, Second Department, again the first woman in the position. She then became the designate judge on the New York Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, and went on as the Chief Administrator of the Courts. She was in that position for four years.

Even for those of us who aren’t familiar with the various names and levels of the courts in our state, her rise through the system was clearly meteoric. Prudenti then went on to the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra in 2015, where she ultimately served as their 10th dean, and will step down as she joins Nancy Burner, our previous podcast guest, to form the Burner and Prudenti Law Group.

Dr. Carter G. Woodson

Carter G. Woodson, 1875-1950, American author, historian and journalist, the son of former slaves, was the second Black man to earn a PhD at Harvard University, following W.E.B. Du Bois. He was the founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, and was one of the first scholars to study the history of the African diaspora. He strove to place people of African descent at the center of American history and the human experience. He noted that African-American contributions “were overlooked, ignored and even suppressed by the writers of history textbooks and the teachers who use them. Race prejudice is merely the logical result of tradition, the inevitable outcome of thorough instruction to the effect that the Negro has never contributed anything to the progress of mankind.”

Also a founder of the “Journal of Negro History,” in February 1926, he launched the celebration of “Negro History Week,” the precursor of Black History Month. His goal was to emphasize the “Negro in History, not the History of the Negro”. Since 1976, every President has designated February as Black History Month. Woodson’s remarkable life is worth knowing.

We hope you will tune in to our podcast this week, starting Friday afternoon, hearing a summary of the week’s news and commentary from Gail Prudenti, by going to our website, tbrnewsmedia.com, and clicking on the home page button, “Listen Now,” or catching us on Spotify. 

Happy March!

P.S. Bio information above supplied by the internet.

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Olger Conce Guambana
Suffolk County Police on Feb. 25 arrested a contractor who allegedly took money from four clients without completing construction projects over the past three years.

A 75-year-old woman reported to police on August 29, 2023 she had hired Olger Conce Guambana to do work at her home and it was not completed as agreed. Conce Guambana then used a bad check to issue a partial refund and stopped all further communication with the woman.

Following an investigation by Sixth Squad detectives and Sixth Precinct Crime Section officers, Conce Guambana was also found to have fraudulently taken money from at least three other victims since August, 2020. In total, he has stolen more than $30,000 from the four victims.

Conce Guambana, 48, of Central Islip, was charged with Scheme to Defraud 1st Degree, a felony, four counts of Grand Larceny 3rd Degree, a felony, and Issuing a Bad Check, a misdemeanor.

Conce Guambana, who also goes by the name Eddie or Ed, has used several company names in the past few years, including Dlugos Construction, R.O.J. Remodeling & Construction Corp., O.C. Remodeling & Construction Corp, USA Painting & Contracting, and Edwards Finishing Carpentry LLC. Anyone who believes they may have been a victim of Conce Guambana is asked to contact the Sixth Squad at 631-854-8652.

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