Crimes Nearby: Man Allegedly Torches Building, Painted Swastikas

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

Cops: Macy's Employee Scammed $14K Worth of Gift Cards

A man who worked at Macy’s in Green Acres was arrested on Saturday for allegedly bilking the store out of $14,000 of gift cards using credit cards numbers that had been fraudulently obtained, according to police.

According to detectives, Duke U. Obule, 19, Cambria Heights, along with two other individuals, allegedly used the fraudulent credit card numbers to buy gift cards between Jan. 12 and April 20 for a loss to Macy’s of more than $14,000. An investigation carried out by the Nassau County Crimes Against Property Squad along with the Fifth Squad and Macy’s Loss Prevention Office resulted in the April 21 arrest of the defendant.

Obule is charged with third-degree grand larceny and falsifying business records in the first degree.

A homeless man from Long Beach was arrested and charged with burglary after .

According to Nassau County Police Department detectives, Ronald Miller, 34, was wanted for burglaries at two locations last year, and was known to have an open New York State Parole Warrant. 

Policed allege that on Oct. 31, 2011, Miller entered Shamrock gas station, at 17 Merrick Rd. in Baldwin, and removed a laptop computer, cigarettes and cash on; and on Nov. 6, 2011, he broke a glass garage door and entered a BP gas station, at 160 Davison Ave., in Oceanside, where no losses were reported. During both burglaries, the defendant left evidence at the scenes that linked him to the crimes, police said.

A 49-year-old man was arrested Thursday morning at the Capri Motor Inn in West Hempstead after allegedly torching an apartment building in Hempstead.

According to detectives with Nassau County Police's Arson and Bomb Squad, Dennis Sibert, allegedly went to the residence of a 60-year-old woman on Union Place in Hempstead on Tuesday, April 17. Around 9:50 p.m., Sibert allegedly struck the apartment building with an incendiary device, causing both the building and ground to ignite.

The Hempstead Fire Department responded to the scene and extinguished the blaze. The building has six separate apartments and 17 people were present at the time, police said. No injuries were reported.

The Nassau County Fire Marshal's Office was called to scene to investigate.

A Cold Spring Harbor doctor with an office in Rockville Centre was sentenced to three years probation after he was arrested for selling painkiller prescriptions to an undercover RVC police detective without performing any medical examination.

Dr. Martin Roginsky, 82, of Cold Spring Harbor, made an estimated $261K by selling phony prescriptions for Oxycodone and other painkillers. He pleaded guilty in February to fourth-degree criminal diversion of prescription medication and prescriptions, a Class A misdemeanor.

A spokesman for the district attorney’s office said in addition to probation, Roginsky had to surrender his medical license and pay $93,000 in restitution.

Nassau County Police are investigating two incidents of aggravated harassment involving swastikas being painted in West Hempstead.

According to detectives, a 53-year-old female noticed a swastika painted on the front window of her Wilson Street home on April 13.

A second incident was reported on April 16 by a 35-year-old male, who discovered a swastika, approximately two feet high by two feet wide, painted on the passenger door of his 1999 Volkswagen at his Ivy Street residence, police said.

Both incidents are under investigation.

Man Sentenced for Vicious Beating of Nurse

A Queens man was sentenced on Monday to 11 years in prison after he beat a registered nurse who was leading a patient therapy session at Franklin Hospital in Valley Stream, according to the Nassau County District Attorney.

Donte Oakes, 25, of Springfield Gardens, pleaded guilty to Assault in the First Degree last month.

Rice said that on Sept. 10, 2010, Oakes, who was a patient at Franklin Hospital, broke a chair in his room and hid one of the chair legs in his clothing. He then entered a group therapy session at the hospital and repeatedly hit the registered nurse leading the session in the head with the chair leg.

The victim suffered multiple lacerations, multiple fractures to the left side of her face and permanent partial blindness in her left eye. She continues to have lasting effects from the attack.

Oakes and the victim had argued previously over his refusal to take his medication. 

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