Judge: No to Maserati Defendant's Claim of Poverty

Felony DWI defendant Joseph Carbone sparred verbally with District Court Judge Erica Prager Thursday morning over representation.

Carbone, who is still jailed under a $100,000 bond, is asking to be assigned counsel. But Prager said Carbone can't prove that he is indigent and therefore eligible for free representation.

Carbone, 49, was arrested in the early morning of June 9 after being pulled over on the LIE while going in excess of 110 mph. 

According to Carbone, he is the CEO of Solution One Services in Woodbury, a financial services company that has been in business for seven months. He added that the car, a 2005 gray Maserati, is the property of the company, not him. He mentioned a man named Tony as the owner.

"Sounds like you're doing very well," Prager said of the startup. 

"I don't do the books," Carbone said.

After Prager continued to question Carbone's plea of poverty, he countered, "How do you know that? Do you know my financial background?" Prager countered with a financial disclosure sheet that she said didn't prove Carbone's financial insolvency. 

Carbone said the house he lives in at 21 Coventry Rd. in Syosset is owned by his father. When Syosset Patch called the number for Solution One Services, a man named Tony who wouldn't give his last name explained that he owns a financial services business at that address and rented space to Carbone as a separate business.

Carbone agreed to pay $2,000 a month once he got the business going, but according to Tony he hasn't received anything in five months and didn't know about Carbone's past DWI convictions. Carbone has one in both Nassau and Suffolk counties and now faces up to seven years in prison on the newest charge.  

At a court hearing last Friday Carbone said he was trying to get in touch with his father to raise bail money. But Tony said he has been in touch with Carbone's father and that "he won't even go visit him in jail."

Carbone, who said he worked on Wall Street for 26 years, added that he needs to get back to work so that he could get the money needed to hire an attorney. Prager, who at one point became frustrated and snapped, "Don't cut me off!" as Carbone gave quick "OK"s to her directions, set a new court date for Monday.   

As he was being led away, Carbone continued to complain to court officers that the Maserati was the only reason he was receiving so much attention.