Janon Fisher
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Articles by Janon Fisher
Laura Gullotti, LI mother of 6, identified as victim in fatal Wading River crash
Laura Gullotti is shown in a family handout photo. The mother of six was killed in a crash on Saturday night in Wading River, police said. A Long Island mother of six returning home from a visit with her grandchildren died on Saturday night after her vehicle overturned in Wading River, throwing her from the vehicle, family and authorities said.
Nicolás Maduro, wife indicted on new charges, including torture of U.S. citizens and illegal detention
Former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on Thursday were hit with additional charges of conspiracy to torture their political opponents, including Americans, to hold onto power. The couple also used violent methods, including "electric shock, asphyxiation, rape, forced nudity, prolonged isolation, starvation, punishment cells, and psychological torture," to suppress drug rivals and to collect drug money, according to a new indictment.
Manhattan judge considers whether ex-special forces soldier's prediction market bet on Venezuela president's ouster was insider trading
A Manhattan federal judge on Wednesday appeared skeptical of the arguments by a defendant's lawyer to dismiss wire fraud and insider trading charges against an ex-special forces soldier who allegedly made more than $400,000 on a prediction market bet that former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro would be deposed.
Hope Livingston, ex-Sag Harbor PTA official, sentenced to probation for stealing $14G from the organization, Suffolk DA says
Hope Livingston, of Sag Harbor, was sentenced to probation on Tuesday for stealing from a school's PTA, the Suffolk County DA said. Credit: James Carbone The former vice president of the Sag Harbor Elementary School Parent Teacher Association avoided jail time at her sentencing on Tuesday for embezzling more than $14,000 from the organization’s account, officials said. Hope Livingston, 50, who also acted as the co-treasurer, pleaded guilty on Aug.
Anthony Iacomino, of Inwood, admits beating his brother to death in October 2025
An Inwood man pleaded guilty on Monday in Nassau County Court to beating his older brother to death with his bare hands inside his mother’s house in October of 2025. Anthony Iacomino, 47, admitted killing Joseph Iacomino, 52, at their family home on Wahl Avenue late in Oct. 4 into early Oct. 5 last year. Anthony Iacomino, a former construction worker, changed his plea in exchange for a deal with the court and prosecutors to a sentence of 18 years to life in state prison.
Former NYPD officer Atickul Islam pleads guilty to impersonating ICE agent to threaten woman who rebuffed him romantically
A former NYPD officer pleaded guilty on Wednesday morning to impersonating a federal ICE agent to intimidate and threaten an immigrant woman from Queens and her family. Atickul Islam, 30, a sergeant and 8-year veteran of the department, appeared before U.S. District Court Judge Dora Irizarry to admit to sending multiple text messages on March 29, 20025, from his own phone and another phone to a woman who had romantically rebuffed him.
Glen Cove resident Nina Varrino pleads guilty in motorcycle crash that killed couple, Nassau DA says
A Glen Cove woman who killed a couple on a Harley Davidson while high on cocaine and Xanax in 2025 pleaded guilty Monday to aggravated vehicular homicide, assault and driving under the influence of drugs, officials said. Nina Varrino, 52, admitted running down Lisa Pelaez, 58, and her husband, George Pelaez, 64, on their motorcycle as they drove on South Service Road of the Long Island Expressway in North Hills.
Federal judge orders ICE to improve conditions for immigration detainees at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan
A U.S. court judge on Thursday ordered federal officials to provide immigration detainees sufficient space, food, hygiene and access to legal and medical assistance while they’re in custody at 26 Federal Plaza in lower Manhattan. District Court Judge Lewis Kaplan issued a permanent injunction, instructing the Department of Homeland Security to prevent overcrowding at 26 Federal Plaza, where most New York City asylum and removal proceedings are held.
Hempstead schools assistant clerk plans to sue district over alleged voter fraud
An assistant clerk with the Hempstead school district, suspended amid allegations of election rigging during the last school board election, plans to sue the district and the superintendent for implicating her in an alleged voter fraud scheme. Lottie Whitehead, district clerk pro tempore, filed a notice of claim on Aug. 21 against the district and the superintendent, Gary Rush, accusing them of bullying and scapegoating her in the discredited May election.
Joshua Wilck, New Hyde Park man charged with stabbing parents in 2024, arrested in courthouse after hugging his mother, violating judge's stay-away order
A New Hyde Park man charged with stabbing both his parents in their beds in 2024, was arrested in the Nassau County Courthouse on Tuesday afternoon after he hugged his mother in violation of a judge’s stay-away order. Joshua Wilck, 26, appeared in court for a full-day of evidentiary hearings on charges that he tried to kill his 62-year-old father and 66-year-old mother, Eric and Lubov Wilck, shortly after 11 p.m. as they slept in their Cherrywood Lane home on Feb. 24, 2024.
Nassau County Jail oversight board has been dormant for years, records show
Nassau County allowed a jail oversight body to dissolve in violation of the county charter, according to former county officials, records and an inmate’s recent lawsuit. The seven-member Nassau County Correctional Center Board of Visitors is supposed to investigate detainees’ complaints and grievances and advise the sheriff on ways to improve jail conditions.
Roosevelt man cleared of manslaughter in mother's death, but defense wants lesser charges dismissed as well
A Roosevelt man cleared of causing his mother's death during an altercation in the family home asked a Nassau County judge to set aside his conviction on endangering the welfare of an elderly person, arguing that if the evidence doesn't support the manslaughter counts, it can't support the other charges. Michael Rainford McDougall, 67, was accused of putting his 85-year-old mother, Carmel McDougall, in a headlock and throwing her to the ground on Sept.
Gov. Hochul at rehabbed, over $400 million Belmont Park opening says Triple Crown 'stays'
At the grand opening of a top-to-bottom renovation of Belmont Park on Friday, Gov. Kathy Hochul vowed to preserve the Triple Crown. Hochul appeared with local Assemb. Michaelle Solages touting the future of horseracing out of the rehabbed, $445 million track that took three years to renovate.
Baldwin daycare center shut down by state amid allegations former worker Asia Oliver sexually abused children there
New York State child welfare authorities have temporarily shut down a Baldwin daycare center, records show, amid additional allegations that a former worker sexually abused children in her care.
Gotti grandson, woman who accused him of assault, have married, lawyer says
Days before Carmine Agnello, the grandson of late Gambino crime boss John Gotti, surrendered to federal authorities to begin serving his sentence for defrauding a COVID relief program he married the woman who had accused him of beating her and shattering her phone, according to his lawyer.
Sewanhaka High School closed Monday due to 'significant' water damage
Floral Park’s Sewanhaka High School will be closed on Monday due to "significant" water damage over the weekend, officials said in a letter to parents. "This decision was made in the interest of student and staff safety, and out of an abundance of caution, after our facilities team assessed the extent of the damage," school superintendent Regina Agrusa said in her letter.
Rockville Centre resident Peter Galantino sentenced to one additional year of probation for fatally kicking 4 lbs. dog
The Rockville Centre man whose felony conviction for fatally kicking Mocha, a 4 lbs. Yorkie in 2020 was reinstated earlier this year will serve one additional year of probation for his crime, a Nassau County judge ruled on Thursday.
Siblings Jemmal and Keana Bryan, charged in Queens drug trafficking operation that led to fatal overdose on Long Island, Nassau DA says
A 2025 fatal overdose led Nassau County authorities to what they said was a brother and sister drug trafficking operation, in which the siblings, along with a team of others, sold fentanyl and xylazine or "tranq" in Glen Cove, Massapequa, Roosevelt and other places across Long Island.
Levittown teen pleads guilty in beating death of neighbor during attempted burglary
A Levittown teenager charged with beating his next door neighbor to death with a frying pan in a 2024 home invasion robbery pleaded guilty Tuesday morning in Nassau County Court. Jose Olaya, now 18, admitted to slipping into the second floor window of Linda Levy, 64, an attorney who lived by herself across the street on Straight Lane, in an attempt to burglarize the home.
Nassau police say 21 neglected dogs found at Manorhaven canine boarding house
Sayville Falls Miniature Golf and Beer Garden offers more than you might think Swipe up for next video Fear for Salvadoran TPS holders who will soon not be protected from U.S. removal Swipe up for next videoRead article It's your last chance to book an LI 'bumper boat' Swipe up for next videoRead article East End farm stands report thefts, threatening decades-old honor systems Swipe up for next videoRead article Little Free Libraries are a big deal Swipe up for next video Out East: North Fork...
Michael Belgrove, of North Valley Stream, is one of the first defendants to be charged under new NYS law on manufacturing of ghost guns
A North Valley Stream man was charged Wednesday with manufacturing Glock switches — devices used to modify handguns into machine guns — in his home, making him one of the first New Yorkers charged with the crime under a new statute that closed a loophole in the state’s ghost gun laws.
Andrew Dykes, suspect in 'Peaches' killing, asks judge to drop murder charge, court files show
Lawyers for Andrew Dykes, the man accused of murdering and dismembering Tanya Jackson, a woman once known as Gilgo Beach victim No. 3, have asked a Nassau County judge to drop the murder charge against their client, saying detectives violated Florida privacy laws during their investigation.
Jayden Abadi Alvarado Velasquez, of Hicksville, sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for sex assault, pattern of violence
A Hicksville man was sentenced in Nassau County Court Wednesday to 25 years to life in prison for raping and threatening to kill his former girlfriend, then bury her in an abandoned building at the defunct Pilgrim State Psychiatric facility. A jury convicted Jayden Abadi Alvarado Velasquez, 40, in May of predatory sexual assault, second-degree attempted assault, three counts of illegal weapons possession, aggravated harassment and other charges.
Wantagh State Parkway closed at Jones Beach due to crash
New York State Police patrol the Wantagh State Parkway. Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost A crash on the northbound side of the Wantagh State Parkway at Jones Beach shortly before 6 p.m. has shut down all lanes on the highway, according to the state traffic website. The collision happened at the Goose Creek Bridge, according 511ny.org. Check back for updates on this developing story. NewsdayTV takes a look back at some of our investigations and exclusive stories from this week.
MS-13 leader Elias Serrano Bonilla sentenced to prison for LI soccer field, laundromat attacks, Nassay DA says
A member of the Hempstead offshoot of a violent transnational gang was sentenced to 17 years in prison on Tuesday for a vicious machete attack in a turf battle over the use of a local soccer field, Nassau prosecutors said.
Judge orders Luigi Mangione's state trial in the killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson postponed
Luigi Mangione attends a pretrial hearing at Manhattan Criminal Court on Aug. 11. Credit: AP/David Dee Delgado The New York State murder trial against Luigi Mangione, scheduled to begin next month, has been postponed until at least Dec. 10, a judge ordered on Monday. The delay comes on the heels of a guilty plea in the charges Mangione was facing in federal court.
Nassau DA: Melbis Hernandez, convicted of murder and assault, sentenced to up to life in prison
A homeless man who stabbed two people in Hempstead — one fatally — within a month of each other in the fall of 2023 was sentenced Monday to up to life in prison. After two trials, Melbis Hernandez, 39, was convicted of second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder and attempted assault in the first degree for the attacks on the two men.
Man with mental health issues fatally shot by cops in Manhattan, NYPD says
NYPD officers fatally shot a man with mental health issues who had attacked his father Sunday afternoon in Manhattan, then rushed them with a large butcher knife, officials said.
Luigi Mangione, alleged killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO, pleads guilty to stalking charges
Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty on Friday in federal court in Manhattan to stalking that resulted in the fatal shooting UnitedHealth executive Brian Thompson nearly two years ago on a Midtown sidewalk, roughly a month before he is scheduled to go to trial for virtually the same crime in New York State Court. “I shot Mr. Thompson and he died. I knew what I was doing was illegal,"Mangione said during the hearing.
Lindenhurst resident Brian Mizhirumbay pleads guilty in DWI crash that killed Craig White
A Lindenhurst man who killed a beloved Nassau worker in a high-speed drunken driving crash last year pleaded guilty in Nassau County Court on Wednesday under a plea deal with prosecutors. Brian Mizhirumbay, 24, admitted driving drunk last Sept. 3 in Freeport, speeding through several red lights before slamming his car into a car driven by Craig White, 55, who had dedicated his life to helping people with developmental disabilities.
Judge rules jurors in alleged CEO killer Luigi Mangione's murder trial will be anonymous
Juror identities will be kept secret in the upcoming Sept. 8 murder trial against Luigi Mangione, the Ivy League graduate accused of fatally shooting a UnitedHealthcare executive on a Manhattan sidewalk in 2024. Manhattan prosecutor Joel Seidmann requested the jury and their address remain anonymous throughout the trial because of the strong support that Mangione, an 28-year-old Ivy League graduate from suburban Maryland, has received.
Seamus McGuickian, of Islip Terrace, drowns in backyard pool, police say
An Islip Terrace man drowned in his backyard pool Sunday afternoon, Suffolk County police said. A friend of Seamus McGuickian, 63, called 911 after discovering him unresponsive in the pool on Irish Lane just around 3:15 p.m., according to a news release. He was pulled from the water, but he could not be revived, police said. McGuickian was pronounced dead at the scene. Suffolk County detectives were investigating the death, but they did not believe there was any criminality involved.
Meadowbrook drawbridge malfunction at Ocean Parkway closes traffic
The malfunction came at the end of a packed beach day. Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost An equipment malfunction at the drawbridge on the northbound Meadowbrook Parkway shut down traffic on Sunday afternoon, according to a New York Department of Transportation traffic website. The failure at the crossing occurred around 3:30 p.m. at the Ocean Parkway cloverleaf, causing all lanes to close on a hot and busy beach weekend. It is unclear when the problem will be resolved and travel can resume.
Former Baldwin High basketball standout's killers facing life in prison
Two men convicted in the fatal shooting of a former Baldwin High School basketball standout from Freeport both could spend the rest of their lives in prison.
Nassau could face a $500G bill in connection with retired correction officers' suit over gun permits
Nassau County could end up paying more than $500,000 in damages and legal fees to former correction officers and their lawyers stemming from a lawsuit over a jail official's determination that the guards were not entitled to gun-permit letters, according to newly filed court papers. On Monday, an attorney for the officers, Frederick K.
Mother sues Port Washington library, saying tutor who molested her daughter, 7, wasn't properly supervised
A mother whose 7-year-old daughter was allegedly sexually abused by a Port Washington Library tutor plans to sue the institution for negligent hiring and not properly supervising an employee, records show.
Long Island municipal water systems receive bulk of $5.4M in NYS grant funds for cybersecurity
Long Island municipalities will receive the majority of $5.4 million in state grant funding aimed at protecting wastewater and drinking water systems from cyberattack. Nassau County towns whose applications were accepted will take in more than $3 million from the so-called SECURE grant program. Collectively, Suffolk County municipalities will receive nearly $1 million from the grant, which stands for Strengthening Essential Cybersecurity for Utilities and Resiliency Enhancements.
Former Manhasset resident Nikolaos Kotsopoulos, who murdered wife in front of children, denied parole
The sons of Nikolaos Kotsopoulos, the Manhasset man serving 25 years to life in prison for fatally shooting his wife in the face in front of them in 2002, said they felt their own fleeting reprieve this week after a New York parole board turned down their father's bid for release.
Joseph Horner, of Uniondale, charged with killing sister-in-law, practiced chokehold on stuffed animal to render her unconscious, prosecutors say
An obsessed Oceanside music teacher stalked his sister-in-law — practicing the chokehold he used on her moments before he attacked her — then raped her unconscious body and ultimately killed her, prosecutors said Wednesday morning at his arraignment in Nassau County Court. Joseph Horner, 27, pleaded not guilty in front of Supreme Court Justice Howard Sturim in Mineola, to three counts of murder and two counts of rape. His attorney Mitchell Barnett declined to comment after the hearing.
Docs: Weill Cornell Medical to pay more than $1 billion to patients of former LI urologist Darius Paduch, convicted of sexual abuse
Weill Cornell Medical will pay more than a billion dollars to the victims of Darius Paduch, the former Long Island doctor convicted of sexually abusing patients, some as young as 13 years old, a confidential settlement released Monday shows. The dollar amount was revealed in an official admission that the hospital group knew about Paduch’s troubling behavior for years, but continued to allow him to treat young men and boys with suffering from infertility and sexual dysfunction without acting.
Judge sets new May trial date for former Mayor Adams aide Frank Carone, 2 Liers charged with bribery
A Brooklyn federal judge on Monday set a new May 7, 2027, date for the bribery trial against Frank Carone, the former chief of staff to ex-mayor Eric Adams, who is represented by eight attorneys to defend against the claim that he steered lucrative contracts for migrant shelters in exchange for kickbacks.
North Side School in East Williston will open on time despite crash that damaged library, district says
An East Williston elementary school will open as scheduled next month despite a crash Sunday evening in which a Jeep plowed into the building's library, according to a district spokesperson. District officials are continuing to assess the damage to the North Side School but the spokesperson said it is not expected to impact students' first day back to school on Aug. 31. The building was unoccupied at the time of the crash.
Driver in East Williston crashes Jeep into North Side School
A man suffering a medical episode Sunday crashed a vehicle into a section of North Side School in East Williston, the Nassau County Police Department said. Credit: Danielle Silverman A man suffering a "medical episode" crashed his vehicle into a section of North Side School in East Williston on Sunday afternoon, the Nassau County police said.
Driver in East Williston crashes Jeep into North Side School
A man suffering a "medical episode" crashed his vehicle into a section of North Side School in East Williston on Sunday afternoon, the Nassau County police said. The 77-year-old driver lost control of the 2019 Jeep about 6:15 p.m as he traveled east on East Williston Avenue before slamming into the north side of the school, which is part of the East Williston School District, the police said in a news release late Sunday.
Wyandanch fire leaves 1 injured, home uninhabitable, officials say
Firefighters rescued an injured woman from a Wyandanch house fire Sunday morning, the authorities said. Officials with the Wyandanch Volunteer Fire Company said several residents of the home on Clearview Drive were attending a church service at the time and no one else was inside the residence. The two-story home caught fire shortly before 8 a.m., according to Wyandanch Fire Company Chief Aaron Ron. The chief said the home is currently uninhabitable.
Wyandanch man shot, wounded in drive-by in Port Jefferson Station, police say
The Suffolk County Police Department said a Wyanchanch man was shot and wounded early Sunday in a drive-by shooting in Port Jefferson Station. Credit: James Carbone A Wyandanch man was wounded in a drive-by shooting Sunday morning in Port Jefferson Station while walking toward a bar on Main Street, the Suffolk County police said.
Judge sets June 1, 2027 for trial of Nicolás Maduro, wife
A Manhattan federal judge set a June 1, 2027 date on Wednesday for the narcoterrorism trial against the toppled Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. Maduro, 63, and his wife, Cilia Flores, 69, have been in a Brooklyn federal jail since January when U.S. military forces led a dramatic nighttime raid on the presidential palace in Caracas, grabbing the foreign leader to bring back to New York to face a host of charges.
Bail revoked for Diana Kutateladze, Oceanside woman charged in alleged DWI crash that killed 2
A Nassau County judge on Tuesday revoked the bail of an Oceanside woman accused of killing a couple in March in a wrong-way drunk-driving crash after she was indicted in Louisiana for trying to bribe a public official with money and tequila in an attempt to free an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainee.
Bail revoked for Diana Kutateladze, Oceanside woman charged in alleged DWI crash that killed 2
Trump Is Threatening to Bring Back One of His Most Hated Policies The president is once again attacking our neighbor to the north. But is this just more bluster? Tariffs are back—or at least the threat of them. …
Ex-captain pleads guilty to drugging, sexually assaulting U.S. Merchant Marine Academy cadet just as trial was to begin
A former cargo captain pleaded guilty on Wednesday to drugging and raping a Kings Point merchant marine cadet in 2019 during her on-the-job training year at sea.
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