Robert Zafonte Begins Prison Stay in East Meadow

Robert Zafonte, the leader of the East Meadow Civic Association, surrendered to authorities Monday at the in Mineola, and has begun serving the six-month sentence that was imposed on him in October for false accusations he made from 2002-2007.

Zafonte, 66, a former investigator in the Town of Hempstead, pleaded guilty to seven counts of offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree, a class E felony; seven counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, also a class E felony; eight counts of aggravated harassment in the second degree, a class A misdemeanor; and five counts of falsely reporting an incident in the third degree, also a class A misdemeanor.

According to the Nassau County District Attorney's Office, Zafonte wrote several letters to government agencies containing knowingly false information against people he felt wronged him.

The first letter targeted an East Meadow School District employee after Zafonte unsuccessfully lobbied for his daughter to be hired by the district. Zafonte mailed a letter to the Nassau County Comptroller's Office alleging that the employee was stealing money from the district and depositing it into a Swiss bank account. When the victim was cleared of any wrongdoing, Zafonte wrote a letter to the New York State Office of Child and Family Services accusing the victim and her husband of abusing their children.

Zafonte wrote another false letter after he argued with a couple regarding the campaign methods of a school board candidate, Zafonte alleged that the couple had an illegal fence, apartment, and tenants on their property, and that the wife abused children at an elementary school in town.

Zafonte will be incarcerated at the

Calls for comment were made to Zafonte's Defense Attorney, Marc Gann, but were not responded to.