MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) — A former New York state trooper pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges that he shot himself then falsely claimed he was wounded by an unknown gunman on a Long Island highway, prompting a regionwide search.
Thomas Mascia agreed to serve six months in jail, followed by five months of probation and continued mental health treatment as he formally changed his not guilty plea during a court appearance in Nassau County court in Mineola.
He also agreed, as part of his plea deal, to pay $289,000 in restitution for the overtime costs for officers during the three-day search for a nonexistent suspect.
The West Hempstead resident had been charged with official misconduct, tampering with evidence and falsifying documents. He became a trooper in 2019 and resigned after being suspended without pay while state police launched a criminal investigation into the shooting.
Mascia’s parents, Dorothy and Thomas, also pleaded guilty Wednesday to firearm charges related to the incident.
Mascia claimed he was shot in the leg on Oct. 30 by a driver parked on the shoulder of the Southern State Parkway, about a mile from his home.
The shooting prompted a massive search as the trooper said the suspect, who he claimed was a “dark-skinned” man, fled in a car bearing temporary New Jersey plates heading toward New York City.
Instead, prosecutors say, Mascia shot himself in a local park, stashed the gun, drove to the highway and called for backup. They say the ruse was an apparent bid to gain attention and sympathy.
During Wednesday’s proceedings, prosecutors asked the former trooper a series of questions confirming the sequence of events.
“You knew this was a lie and chose to do it anyway?” Jared Rosenblatt of the Nassau County district attorney’s office asked at the end of the questions.
“Yes,” Mascia replied in a low voice.
The former trooper and his parents didn’t respond to reporters as they left the courthouse with their lawyers. They’re scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 20.
The family had appeared in court earlier this month to change their pleas, but the judge at the time halted the proceedings after the former trooper said he did not feel well mentally and that he was receiving treatment.
Jeffrey Lichtman, Mascia’s lawyer, previously said the former trooper, who resigned in January, has been suffering from “untreated mental health issues” for years.
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