Crimes Nearby: Two Guilty of Bribery, Man Sentenced For Killing Neighbor

The following information was supplied by the Nassau County Police, Rockville Centre Police and Nassau County D.A. A criminal charge is only an accusation, and does not indicate convictions.

A Lynbrook man has been sentenced for his role in multi-million dollar bribery schemes while working for Consolidated Edison Corporation of New York, Inc. (Con Ed).

James Coffin, 56, is one of the 14 former Con Ed construction inspectors who were found guilty of charges related to schemes in which they solicited and accepted millions of dollars in kickbacks from contractors between 2000 and 2009 in connection with construction projects in Manhattan, the Bronx and Westchester County, the United States Attorney's Office announced in a release.

Coffin was sentenced to 30 months' incarceration, $214,250 in forfeiture to the government and $132,800.65 in restitution to Con Ed.

Solomon Kalish, a health consultant who lives in Rockville Centre, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to bribing former State Sen. Carl Kruger.

According to the Courthouse News Service, "Kalish is the sixth and final defendant convicted in what the U.S. Attorney's Office called 'a sprawling bribery scheme that ensnared a powerful New York State Senator, a lobbyist, two hospital CEOs and a physician.'"    

Kalish, 61, of Rockville Centre, faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for conspiracy to commit honest services fraud. He will be sentenced on May 22.

A Long Beach man was sentenced to 30 years in prison last Tuesday after shooting his neighbor in the face and killing him during an argument back in March 2010.

Casey Fitzgerald, 21, was of manslaughter in the first degree and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree last December.

Fitzgerald, who claimed that he was acting in self-defense, was acquitted of murder in the second degree.

Shots rang out in North Valley Stream last Monday night when police responded to a burglary in progress at a home near the Howell Road Elementary School.

When the first Nassau County Police officer arrived at the house on Dana Avenue around 9:15 p.m., he was told by one of the victims that there were armed suspects in the home who had six hostages inside - two adults and four children. The cop was able to break through the back door and rescue the victims, according to the police.

When the officer went back inside the home to apprehend the suspects, he confronted one of them in a hallway and gunfire was exchanged, police say. Several other responding officers rushed to assist and an undetermined amount of subjects began to flee.

Police confirmed Tuesday afternoon that one of the suspects, Timothy Capers, 37, of Queens, took his own life during the shootout with a self-inflicted gunshot.

Another suspect, Levy Robinson, 47, of Jamaica, was arrested at the scene.

The police would not say if other suspects had been apprehended or were at large, but only that the investigation was still active.

A man pretending to be a contractor stole more than $1,000 worth of jewelry from a Lynbrook home, police said.

Lynbrook police said that on Thursday, Jan. 12, a man knocked on the door of a home on Rolling Street in Lynbrook and asked if they wanted a chimney cap, which he had in his hand, installed on top of their chimney. The victim agreed to have one installed.

Police said the victim then went to the basement and found three rings and a set of earrings missing. The value of the missing items is $1,100.

The subject is a white male, late 20’s, 6-feet tall, 150 lbs., thin build, dark hair, olive skin, brown eyes, wearing jeans and a black t-shirt.

Woman Robbed of Purse in Valley Stream

An unknown white man placed a sharp object against the arm of a 30-year-old woman last Tuesday in Valley Stream and stole her purse, police said.

The victim was walking westbound on Meyer Avenue after getting off a bus around 7:16 p.m. when the perpetrator — described as in his twenties, about 6-feet tall and wearing a black jacket — approached her. After stealing her purse, he ran west and got into the rear passenger door of a white four-door car, which fled in an unknown direction.

No further descriptions are available. No injuries were reported.

Detectives ask that anyone with information regarding this crime should contact Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. All callers will remain anonymous.

Police: Two Busted for Attacking and Robbing Woman in Valley Stream

Two men were arrested for robbery last Monday in Valley Stream after they attacked a 45-year-old on the street and stole her belongings, police said.

On Jan. 16 at 7:41 p.m., the victim was approached from behind by two men as she was walking home on Fletcher Avenue. Darrick Scarborough, 20, of Ridge, and Samuel Davis, 22, of Queens, allegedly held the victim by her arms, punched and pushed her to the ground and took her cell phone and white pocketbook.

The defendants fled on Hudson Avenue in a red 2007 Chevy. A short time later, police saw the defendants on Merrick Boulevard in Rosedale and conducted a vehicle and traffic stop. The investigation led to the arrests of the defendants and the recovery of the proceeds.

The victim suffered a contusion to her head and a laceration to her knee and was treated at a local nearby hospital.

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