Crimes Nearby: New Charges for Accused LIRR Scammers

New charges have been filed against four Romanian nationals charged with skimming financial information from LIRR ticket machines, according to the Nassau County District Attorney.

Valer Zaharia, 38, and his wife Teodora, 27, now face first-degree grand larceny charges and had third-degree grand larceny and fourth-degree conspiracy tacked on to their list of charges, said the DA.

Officials also upgraded charges against Niculae Petre, 45, and Dorin Husa, 37. They now face charges of first-degree unlawful duplication of computer-related material, five counts of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, criminal possession of a forgery device, and fourth-degree conspiracy.

Police have issued a warrant for a fourth defendant, Cezar Nastasa, who escaped to the United Kingdom shortly after the first arrests, the DA said. Read on. 

Nassau Cop Sentenced to Conditional Discharge in Menacing

A Nassau County police officer convicted of pointing his gun at the head of a Farmingdale bartender has been sentenced to a conditional discharge. 

Richard Hefferon, 48, who was convicted of third-degree menacing, a misdemeanor, for the 2011 incident, was sentenced Tuesday to a conditional discharge that includes 150 hours of community service, continued therapy with quarterly reports to the courts, and a $500 fine. Read on.