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Crime & Safety

Crimes Nearby: Attempted Chase Bank Robbery

Here is a rundown of recent crimes in neighboring towns.

Plainview

Nassau Police Department's Robbery Squad is investigating the that occurred in Plainview on Oct. 18 at 4:20 p.m.

According to detectives, a man, about 25, 6-feet tall, wearing a green pullover sweater, blue jeans, sunglasses and a white Nike logo baseball style cap entered the  located at 404 Woodbury Road and handed a demand note to a teller. The subject left the bank without any proceeds and was observed walking through the parking lot westbound towards South Oyster Bay Road. There were ten employees and four customers present at the time of the incident and no injuries were reported.

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Detectives are requesting anyone with information regarding this crime to contact the Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. All calls are confidential and all callers will remain anonymous.

Farmingdale

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Ten people were accused of collectively stealing more than $458,000 worth of Medicaid and public assistance benefits, according to the Nassau County District Attorney's Office.

The sweep was the result of joint investigations by the District Attorney’s Public Assistance Fraud Unit and the Special Investigations Unit of the Nassau County Department of Social Services.

“Public assistance programs were created to protect the most vulnerable members of our society, and those who think they can abuse those programs will be found, arrested, and held accountable,” DA Kathleen Rice said. “My office will continue to work with DSS to root out the waste, fraud, and abuse that affect every Nassau County taxpayer.”

Tahira Mundiya, 45, of Farmingdale, was arrested on Sept. 14 and charged with grand larceny in the second degree, welfare fraud in the second degree, and offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree. Rice said that between Sept. 2001 and June 2010, Mundiya stole more than $62,000 in undeserved Medicaid benefits by failing to disclose the ownership of a second home with rental income and a gas station.

Mundiya faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted and is due back in court on Dec. 2.

Others charged in the sweep include Hicksville resident Dennis Melandro, who Rice said stole more than $11,000 and failed to disclose he was a licensed real estate agent with deposits into his bank accounts between $158,000 and $738,000 during the fraud period and Massapequa residents Matthew and Angela Sutphen, who Rich said stole more than $167,000 in benefits by underreporting their income and assets and failing to disclose the ownership of timeshares, a co-op in Florida, a second home in Suffolk County and the ownership of Cornerstone Bancor Mortgage Company.

Nassau County police are investigating a robbery that occurred at a gas station on Fulton Street on Thursday.

According to detectives, two men entered the Formula Gas Station at 3:30 a.m. The first man, wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt and gloves, went behind the counter and ordered the 22-year-old male attendant to put his hands up and turn around. Police report that he had his hand in his pocket simulating that he may have had a weapon.

The second man was wearing a red handkerchief covering his face and removed an undetermined amount of money and cigarettes. Both men fled south on Merritts Road. There were no injuries reported.

Huntington

The TD Bank on Jericho Turnpike was robbed Oct. 18 at about 5 p.m.

Police gave the following account:

A man entered the bank at 1040 Jericho Turnpike about 5 p.m. and handed the teller a note demanding cash and threatening to use a gun. The teller complied with the demands and the man fled the scene on foot south on Dix Hills Road.

The amount of money taken was not known.

The subject is described as a white male, 6 feet tall and wearing a dark-colored long-sleeve shirt, blue jeans, white sneakers, dark sunglasses and a white Nike hat.

Suffolk County Police Major Case Investigations Unit detectives are investigating. Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-220-TIPS. All calls will remain confidential.

Massapequa

Police have released surveillance photos of a man and a woman wanted for questioning in connection with the theft of a charity donation container at a Massapequa 7-Eleven.

The pair got away with $200 in cash that was being collected for Muscular Dystrophy at the  located at 5570 Merrick Road, cops said.

A man described as being  5-feet 9-inches tall and wearing blue jeans, a t-shirt, blue baseball cap and a white sweater grabbed the can along with a woman who is 5-feet 4, wearing leggings, a dark shirt and a white sweater.

They poured the cash into a large monogrammed pocketbook the woman was carrying.

Police are urging anyone with information about the theft to call Crime Stoppers, which is offering a reward up to $5,000.  Their phone number is 1-800-244-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.

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