Family Forum / Parenting / Adoption / March 2009

Why didn't YOU post this one, Dan?

http://www.newsday.com/iphone/ny-lihemp0319,0,5658714.story

Hempstead, Long Island, NY

DA: Hempstead investigator targeted 'enemies'

Robert Zafonte made 'knowingly false' accusations in letters, Nassau
district attorney says
BY ANN GIVENS AND EDEN LAIKIN   11:12 PM EDT, March 18, 2009

Hempstead Town Chief Investigator Robert Zafonte seemed to have an
uncanny knack for uncovering wrongdoing, Nassau prosecutors said
Wednesday.

He told authorities an administrator in the East Meadow School
District was stealing school money, prosecutors said.

He claimed to authorities that an East Meadow woman was abusing
elementary schoolchildren, prosecutors said.

And he identified another couple as child abusers to authorities,
prosecutors said.

Wednesday, law enforcement officials announced they are bringing
charges in all those cases - against Zafonte, saying he made up the
charges to settle scores with people he felt had crossed him.

"This is about as egregious as it gets," said District Attorney
Kathleen Rice.

Zafonte, 65, of East Meadow, pleaded not guilty Wednesday in Hempstead
to more than two dozen felonies, including first-degree offering a
false instrument for filing and first-degree falsifying business
records, Rice said. The retired New York City housing police sergeant
also pleaded not guilty to 32 misdemeanors of falsely reporting an
incident and harassment, Rice said. He was released without bail.

District Court Judge Angelo Delligatti issued orders of protection on
behalf of six people prosecutors say he's been harassing and their
families, including East Meadow School Superintendent Leon Campo and
an elementary school principal.

At Zafonte's arraignment, his attorney, former Hempstead Town
Supervisor Gregory Peterson, said his client has "done a lot of good
for the community." Peterson added that Zafonte, who lives with his
wife and six children, is fighting colon cancer.

Hempstead Town spokesman Michael Deery said Zafonte will be reassigned
to a non-investigatory job until the case is resolved.

The incidents took place from mid-2002 to November 2007, Rice said.

The first letter sent by Zafonte targeted the employee he felt had
prevented his daughter from getting a job in the East Meadow school
district, prosecutors said. In that letter to the Nassau comptroller's
office, Zafonte claimed the employee was stealing money from the
district and depositing it into a Swiss bank account.

An investigation revealed the employee did nothing wrong, Rice said.

Nevertheless, Zafonte mailed another letter containing allegations
and, after the employee was cleared a second time, he made anonymous
complaints to the New York State Office of Child and Family Services
accusing the employee of child abuse, prosecutors said.

Later, Zafonte anonymously alleged in letters to the Nassau County tax
assessor and the Town of Hempstead Building Department that an East
Meadow couple he was targeting because they did not support his school
board candidate had "an illegal fence, apartment, and tenants" on
their property, prosecutors said. He also said that the wife "abused
children at an elementary school in town," Rice said.

Finally, Zafonte targeted a woman who responded to a letter he had
written in a local weekly newspaper, prosecutors said. Rice said
Zafonte sent an anonymous letter to the Office of Child and Family
Services accusing the woman and her husband of child abuse.

Investigators later obtained a sample of Zafonte's DNA and compared it
to samples taken from the anonymous letters, Rice said. She said the
genetic profiles matched. Investigators also found Zafonte's
fingerprints on two letters, Rice said.

Zafonte faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.