In the criminal trial in November, 2009, it came out that Detective Jeff Wilson, the lead investigator on the case, worked for Patrick Hickey at Beckwith Pointe Beach Club & Tennis. The same Detective Wilson who showed up at Suzanne Ribando’s house to threaten her, who ordered her arrested over the telephone based on a false claim that she banged on a fence, who was (twice) caught trying to videotape Ribando in her home just days before her criminal trial in 2009. The same Jeff Wilson who went running to the DA, time and time again, hoping to be told he had grounds to arrest Suzanne Ribando yet again, who told Hickey how he needed to make sure and bring a “witness” against Ribando, who repeatedly took false statements from Hickey. Once the financial and business relationship between Hickey and Wilson becomes clear, it highlights the obvious — that the two of them colluded by concocting stories, reframing statements, making arrests and otherwise laying the groundwork to achieve Hickey’s true aim — drive Suzanne Ribando from her childhood home because she yelled at his kids for bouncing a ball off her fence.
The Hickey-Wilson relationship was hardly news to people at the New Rochelle police department. In 2005, Police Commissioner Patrick Carroll approved Wilson’s employment by Hickey at Beckwith Pointe. Within a year, the conspiracy involving Wilson and Hickey against Suzanne Ribando was set in motion. It was not news at the Westchester County District Attorney’s office or at the New Rochelle City Court either. Everyone involved in the case seemed to know of the business and financial bond between Hickey and Wilson except the victim, Suzanne Ribando, who, for years, was mystified as to why no one on the New Rochelle police force would listen to her when she denied Hickey’s allegations or made her own against him. It had been clear for many years that Hickey had some extraordinary pull within the New Rochelle Police Department and what greater pull than to have your own private police detective working for you, at your disposal, day and night? Many of the calls made by Patrick Hickey to Wilson went to Wilson’s private cell phone. Wilson was involved in the case for three years but says he never bothered to tell his supervisor of his rather obvious conflict of interest in the case. It now appears likely that Wilson was advising Patrick Hickey on how to set up Suzanne Ribando, how to build a case against her through the drip-drip-drip of filing repeated minor complaints to establish a “course of conduct” that could arguably justifying an arrest.
When Detective Vincent Mirabile eventually arrested Suzanne Ribando, he later admitted under oath that there was no precipitating incident to justify the arrest but rather a “course of conduct” based on prior incidents. Mirabile has yet to explain how prior incidents that were unreported at the time, or were determined by responding officers to be “unfounded” or were labeled a “dispute” by the two parties can be the basis for a course of conduct leading to an arrest. When ADA Michael Borelli requested that Judge Colangelo bar Ribando from the Stephenson neighborhood, the judge pointed out there has been no new incident; that night an incident was manufactured, Ribando was arrested and Borelli made his request again in front of a more compliant jurist, Judge Gail Rice. Even at the sentencing yesterday, the ADA attempted to introduce new, unsubstantiated, previously unreported, allegations that Ribando was “still” playing loud music and allowing her dogs to bark as part of a plot to annoy the Hickeys.
New Rochelle Court Clerk Jimmy Generoso played a central role in the matter. He testified that his daughter Lindsay Generoso, who works with Patrick Hickey at Beckwith Pointe, called her father repeatedly, asking him to assist Hickey. Generoso acceded to these requests, giving Hickey his personal cell phone number, talking to New Rochelle police officers, including Wilson, about the case, talking to prosecutors from the DA’s office about the case, referring Hickey to Peter Goodrich, a former ADA, who became Hickey’s lawyer, then calling the lawyer to ask him to help Hickey and then calling his daughter back to tell her that he called Goodrich and opened the door for Hickey. Generoso testified that Wilson also came to him to talk about the case. Wilson complained to Generoso that Hickey was “driving him nuts” about the case and asking for Generoso’s help in various ways. Generoso admits to talking to Hickey about both the criminal case against Ribando and the civil lawsuit filed against Hickey. Other sources have described Hickey and Generoso as “friends” and “good friends” although Generoso has denied this.
It is widely known in New Rochelle that for many years Jimmy Generoso has been the power behind the throne at the New Rochelle City Court. Given his stature within the New Rochelle City Court, the nature of his job and his intimate, personal and familial involvement in both the criminal and civil case it would appear more than plausible that Generoso was the guiding force behind much of what went on in this case at the judicial level: the unconstitutional court order to prohibit Ribando from using her backyard or exiting from the side door of her house; the repeated and unprecedented delays in providing Ribando’s attorney with a transcript of the criminal trial so that he could file a motion to dismiss; the failure to receive and process the fax and letter from the Mount Vernon Hospital which “went missing”; the scheduling of a court appearance for Ribando that the Court was informed she could not make because she was in Mount Vernon Hospital; the issuance of a bench warrant for Ribando after she failed to make he court appearance resulting in Ribando’s arrest and imprisonment; the failure to receive and process the Sentencing Report submitted by the Westchester County Board of Probation which “went missing” for 17 months resulting in the continuance of an unconstitutional Order of Protection issued by Judge Rice and blocking Ribando from appealing her conviction on the two misdemeanor contempt charges — the latter directly impacted both the Civil Complaint filed by Ribando in 2009 and the Federal Civil RICO complaint filed in 2011.
Jimmy Generoso testified that he was, for many years, a member at Beckwith Pointe. Lindsay Generoso, his daughter, works at Beckwith Pointe with Patrick Hickey. When he was served with the Civil complaint by Suzanne Ribando in May, 2009, Patrick Hickey said he went to Lindsay Generoso who, in turn, called her father. Lindsay Generoso got her father on the telephone and put Patrick Hickey on the phone with Jimmy Generoso. Hickey also confirmed that it was Generoso who referred him to his lawyer Peter Goodrich.
In 2010, the judge in the case, Judge Colangelo, retired from the City Court of New Rochelle to take a new position as a judge for Westchester County. Colangelo’s retirement party was organized by Jimmy Generoso who met with Patrick Hickey to plan the party. The party was held at Beckwith Pointe. Among the guests was Jeff Wilson. When Wilson retired in 2010, his retirement party was held at Beckwith Pointe. Many of the key players from the Ribando case were on hand for both events.
New Rochelle Police Detective Vincent Mirabile works at Beckwith Pointe and, according to sources, has free use of a cabana at Beckwith Pointe, something he has denied under oath. Mirabile plays a pivotal role in the case, making the first arrest of Suzanne Ribando based on nothing more than the word of Patrick Hickey. New Rochelle Police Detective Michael Messina works at Beckwith Pointe. New Rochelle police officers routinely go to Beckwith Pointe for meals provided by Patrick Hickey, the chief chef and catering manager at the club. There is a long-standing, historical connection between Beckwith Pointe and the New Rochelle police department. Beckwith Beach, a separate area near the club, was set aside decades ago for the use of New Rochelle police and New Rochelle firefighters. In his will, many years ago, Mr. Beckwith instructed that the beach near the club was to be used only by the policemen and firemen of New Rochelle, a gift to them from the Beckwith family.
Asked whether he had family who worked for the City of New Rochelle, Mirabile stated that his father was a firefighter. He failed to mention another Mirabile who worked for the New Rochelle Buildings Department and was fired for taking bribes — allegedly. Mirabile has had his own problems. In 1993, Mirabile was injured in a bar fight while a patron at a New Rochelle bar known as the Downtown Lounge. Mirabile alleged that Andrew and Guy Peduto “intentionally struck the plaintiff, Vincent Mirabile, in the face with a glass bottle”.
As has been noted many times, the Westchester County District Attorney’s office has been, from the beginning preternaturally interested in the case. During the felony hearing in December 2008 there is a discussion in front of Judge Colangelo about Anthony Molea, the Chief Assistant District Attorney, one of the most senior attorneys in the District Attorney’s office, telling Ribando’s attorney that Patrick Hickey had been “constantly” calling Molea and that Molea was taking his calls and giving him advice. Anthony Molea is a member of Beckwith Pointe.
Assistant District Attorney Michelle Calvi, the prosecutor in the case, is the daughter of Antonio Calvi, a plumber from Yonkers. Antonio Calvi is a Trustee of the Casa Calabria in New Rochelle, NY. The Case Calabria is run by Domenic Procopio, a name well familiar to Talk of the Sound readers (did any regular reader of Talk of the Sound really think this story would not turn up a Procopio connection?). Antonio Calvi is a New York State Licensed Backflow Inspector for Westchester County as is Joseph V. Bonanno. Joe Bonanno is also a New York State Licensed Backflow Inspector for Westchester County. Joe Bananno owns a company called J&J Backflow. The largest client for J&J Backflow is the City School District of New Rochelle. Joe’s brother is Jimmy Bonanno, a senior supervisor in the Buildings & Grounds Department for the City School District of New Rochelle, who has ordered district employees to work on a home owned by Heidi Reyes, his girlfriend, on school district time (did any regular reader of Talk of the Sound really think this story would not turn up a Bonanno connection?).
If the New Rochelle “friends and family” network has an epicenter, it may well be the Beckwith Pointe Beach Club & Tennis at 700 Davenport Avenue in New Rochelle, NY. Jimmy Bonanno is a member of Beckwith Pointe. Heide Reyes, his girlfriend with the house up in Orange County tended to by BoE staff on the public dime, is a regular at Beckwith Pointe. Tippling building inspector John Caldararo, a man who never met an envelope he didn’t like has free run of Beckwith Pointe as a courtesy for his “help” in getting around various pesky building code requirements, the hate-filled Patrick Hickey is the catering manger at Beckwith Pointe where his wife Tracey Hickey and their two children have the run of the place, mercenary cop Jeff Wilson who served as Hickey’s personal neighborhood enforcer works at Beckwith Pointe, as do other officers including Vincent Mirabile and Michael Messina. New Rochelle Court Clerk James Generoso is a former Beckwith Pointe member and his daughter Lindsay Generoso works at Beckwith Pointe, managing member relations. Top District Attorney prosecutor Anthony “Tony Mole” Molea is a Beckwith Pointe member.
Generoso admits to talking to Hickey about both the criminal case against Ribando and the civil lawsuit filed against Hickey and, in some cases, having these discussions at Beckwith Pointe. Hickey repeatedly called Anthony Molea about the criminal case but claims he did not discuss the civil case with him; hardly likely considering Hickey was served in that case in May, 2009 at the start of the summer season.
With friends like these it’s no wonder Patrick Hickey was able to wage a one-sided war of attrition against his helpless neighbor and her elderly, infirm parents. Galluzzi was right, Suzanne Ribando never had a chance
In the end, it is difficult to determine what demons drive a man like Patrick Hickey. Perhaps a childhood trauma, perhaps over indulgence in alcohol, perhaps some deep-seated psychological problems. It’s hard to say, really but something is seriously wrong with him. Patrick Hickey grew up on nearby Rhodes Street in New Rochelle. His family lived there at least back to the 1950’s. Many years ago, before Patrick Hickey was born, his father uncle drove under the influence down Jackson Street Palmer Avenue, a short distance from Stephenson Boulevard. Hickey’s uncle struck a young girl, killing her. Some sources believe that it was a “hit and run”. In either case, Hickey’s uncle killed the girl, last name Mykytyn, who used to live at 12 Jackson Street. Neighbors recall that after that Hickey’s uncle did not drive and would be seen wandering around the neighborhood. The Hickey family is recalled as “wild”, that the “kids were wild”, that the “kids were left to their own devices”. Patrick Hickey is remembered as a “hoodlum kid” and “a problem”. This not only matches up with how Hickey behaved towards Suzanne Ribando but also matches up with Patrick Hickey’s two children being in the backyard for long periods of time without supervision and causing problems for their neighbor by harassing her and tormenting her dog.
[CORRECTION: In preparing this article, several sources told Talk of the Sound that Patrick Hickey’s father was the driver of the car 30 years ago including a close relative of the victim. Since the story ran several long-time New Rochelle residents familiar with the incident have come forward to say that it was the uncle not the father who drove the car the killed the girl. Further, that the driver was arrested and served about a year in jail. After some effort to sort this out Talk of the Sound has concluded that the original sources had confused the uncle and the father and the story has been edited to reflect that. Further that the confusion may have extended to which Hickey family lived on Rhodes Street so that sentence has been stricken from this article.]
Members of Beckwith Pointe have complained about Hickey’s conduct, that he is volatile and unpredictable in dealing with members. Several noted that when there are events for children at the club, Hickey orchestrates things so that his children win. Members described an incident where Hickey ordered security employees to manhandle and physically remove people from the club. Many members of Beckwith Pointe say they do not like Hickey, that they steer clear of him, that they are afraid of him. Others said that after he was promoted to his current position at Beckwith Pointe, Hickey’s drinking became worse to the point that his wife threatened to leave him if he did not stop drinking. All of this was occurring around the time he was filing complaints against Ribando with the New Rochelle police department.
The Stephenson neighborhood where Hickey grew up was home to many New Rochelle police officers and firefighters. Vincent Mirabile grew up on Hertford, just around the corner from the Ribando house at 106 Stephenson Boulevard. Mirabile’s parents still live there. Mirabile’s sister married Kenneth Frank, a police officer who was later kicked off the force and arrested on various fraud counts including insurance fraud and passing bad checks. Vinnie Mirabile owns Cousins Cigar shop on East Main Street around the corner from where he grew up. Mirabile admits to being a problem kid growing up and that he was “asked not to return” to the Holy Name School when he was in second grade. Did Mirabile know Hickey growing up? Suzanne Ribando went to Holy Name School. Did Mirabile or Hickey know Ribando growing up?
They say opposites attract but that was apparently not the case with Tracey Hickey who seems to have been her husband’s equal in mendacity and mean-spiritedness. Tracey Hickey purposely parked her car in front of Suzanne Ribando’s house then sprang into action after Ribando walked out her front door, calling the police and concocting a story about a scratched car. Tracey Hickey concocted a story about feeling threatened when Suzanne Ribando, unaware of her presence in the park, walked her dog in Stephenson Park. This is a woman who pointed her finger at Suzanne Ribando, pulled an imaginary trigger and said “die, bitch”. A classy lady.
Then we have Tracey’s good friend, Dana Ziogas. This is a woman who clearly lied under oath in order to help convict Suzanne Ribando of crimes she never committed. When James Ribando passed away in 2010, Dana Ziogas was there to greet Suzanne and Betty Ribando with ridicule, mocking them and shouting “Get over it, Suzanne”. It is difficult to imagine the personal depravity required to mock a woman coming back from her father’s funeral, a man she had dutifully nursed through Multiple Sclerosis since the age of 16.
These are the Hickeys and their friend Dana Ziogas, perhaps the most despicable three individuals in the City of New Rochelle. One can only hope that the Hickeys and Ziogas have visited upon them a fraction of the misery they put Suzanne Ribando and her parents through over the past five years. It is to be hoped that New Rochelle will be rid of these vipers soon.
The state of play has changed for Suzanne Ribando but she is not out of the woods yet. She now has top-flight, dedicated legal counsel. She may finally have the Hickeys on the run with a million dollar civil lawsuit which she appears well-positioned to win. She was given the lightest possible sentence — a Conditional Discharge — at her sentencing yesterday. The sentencing recommendation by the Westchester County Board of Probation was nothing less than a slap in the face to the people who brought the complaints against Ribando, the police who arrested her and the court that convicted her. To his credit, Judge Carbone took the highly unusual step of vacating the order of another judge. It is generally considered an insult when a judge in a higher court vacates an order by a judge in a lower court; for a judge at the same level to do that is highly unusual and an embarrassment for Judge Gail Rice. Her conduct in this case was a disgrace; more than sufficient grounds for bring her up on charges with the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct.
The testimony referenced above was obtained from Wilson, Mirabile, Generoso and others at depositions for the Civil Complaint and a recently filed Federal Civil RICO lawsuit against the City of New Rochelle.
After filing the Civil Complaint in May, 2009, Michael Galluzzi had upped the ante in January, 2010. He filed a notice of claim of a lawsuit against the City of New Rochelle and Detective Jeffrey Wilson to go with the civil complaint filed against the Hickeys. Detective Jeff Wilson retired from the New Rochelle Police Department that same month. In March 2011, the notice of claim against the City of New Rochelle and Detective Jeff Wilson was acted upon by the filing of a Civil RICO lawsuit filed against the City of New Rochelle, Detective Jeffrey Wilson, as well as, Police Commissioner Patrick Carroll, Detective Vincent Mirabile and Detective Michael Messina. Both cases are now pending.
Shortly after the trial in November, 2009, attorney John Mangialardi went to work on a motion to set aside the two criminal contempt convictions. To prepare, Galluzzi and Mangialardi both required a copy of the court transcript. The court, run by Court Clerk Jimmy Generoso, repeatedly delayed turning over the court transcript, making one absurd excuse after another. The delays left Mangialardi unable to file a timely “motion to set aside” which was ultimately filed with the court in June, 2010 using only a portion of the transcript because the full transcript could supposedly not be located. The District Attorney’s office was supposed to file its opposition to the motion in August 2010. They failed to do so until the Spring of 2011 which is why the motion to dismiss was not decided by Judge Carbone until May 23rd, 2011, an unheard of delay. On May 23, 2011, Judge Anthony Carbone denied Suzanne Ribando’s motion to set aside the convictions on two counts of contempt for violating the Order of Protection. Judge Rice’s order was clearly unconstitutional and, after the trial, without any conviction on any criminal count there is no longer a basis for the order. Since Ribando was acquitted of all the underlying criminal counts which were the causes of or reasons for the order of protection in the first place, there are no victims of these crimes other than the court so the court ruled properly in vacating Judge Rice’s absurd Order of Protection thus allowing Ribando to again go into her own backyard.
It was during the course of taking depositions for the Civil Complaint and the Federal Civil RICO case the web of connection that made the Hickey’s jihad against Suzanne Ribando possible began to emerge. Hickey, through his position at Beckwith Pointe, was in a position to do a lot of favors for a lot of people in a position to significantly impact the malicious, unwarranted criminal prosecution of Suzanne Ribando — Jimmy Generoso, Anthony Molea, Jeff Wilson, Vincent Mirabile, and others.
Talk of the Sound has been working on this story since early 2010. In January, 2010 Galluzzi was doing research for what would become the Federal case against the City of New Rochelle when he came across the Talk of the Sound web site. Cox and Galluzzi met on January 28th, 2010 at which point Galluzzi presented the history of the case going back to 2006 and related documents. A few days later, in early February 2010, Galluzzi was doing random searches in Google, using the names of officers involved in Ribando’s arrests, when he came across the P.A.C.T. Unit Fantasy Football League web site. He forwarded a link to the site to Cox which prompted reporting by Talk of the Sound on the web site leading to a series articles on the gambling and pornography web site openly linked to the New Rochelle police department.
The P.A.C.T. Fantasy Football League web site reflects precisely the hateful, misogynistic attitude demonstrated by Hickey, Wilson, Mirabile, and other officers in dealing with Suzanne Ribando, as well as, the “blind-eye” mentality of New Rochelle Police Commissioner Patrick Carroll who allowed the web site to operate with active duty police officers for years. Commissioner Carroll created the Police and Community Together (PACT) unit.
Dozens of current and former New Rochelle police officers, primarily from the New Rochelle Police Department’s Police And Community Together Unit (P.A.C.T.) have for the past 12 years paid tens of thousands of dollars into a high-stakes fantasy football league with team names, team web sites and helmet decals that glorify a brutish, hard-drinking, gangster mentality among officers within the unit.
Teams owned by New Rochelle police officers, including many high ranking officers, reference organized crime, vigilantism, police brutality, alcohol abuse, and a hostile misogynistic attitude towards women in a manner which raises serious questions about the fitness for duty of some NRPD officers and, more broadly, the leadership of New Rochelle Police Commissioner Patrick Carroll who has permitted the group to operate on his watch for over a decade.
Participating officers have owned teams with names which include Midnight Mutha F*s, Kill ’em All, The Hitmen, Bad Boyz, Goodfellas, New Jack City, Tuxedo Mafia, The Enforcers, Jack Daniels Boys, Da Drunks and Tits ‘N’ Ass. Images and helmet decals include one riddled with bullet holes, a woman in a skimpy red bikini, a whiskey label logo, an animation of beer bottles bouncing into a crate, a large-breasted woman in a white bikini, a mafia shooting scene, and a nude, heavily-tattooed woman standing naked, leaning back while holding a massive chainsaw between her legs pointing outwards to suggest a penis. References to male testes are also popular; teams include Harley’s Balls, Fireballs, Balzy Bulls and Ball Breakers. One team — Perri’s Not Gay Ghosts – is vaguely homophobic (the team helmet is pink). Two teams appear to be mocking the police profession – The Hemmorroids and Get the Donuts.
One team is owned by “Wilson” but Talk of the Sound has not confirmed that “Wilson” is Jeff Wilson as there is another police officer last name Wilson.
A City of New Rochelle spokesperson today told Talk of the Sound that City officials had “no comment” on two controversial “fantasy football” web sites created and published by current and retired officers of the New Rochelle Police Department….the two web sites include page upon page of graphic pornography including nude and semi-nude images of women including morbidly obese women, an elderly woman, and several photos of a transexual “woman”. In one of the photos, a transexual “women” sits on a bed, legs spread to display “her” penis. The photos of the transexual person makes references to an active duty Sergeant on the New Rochelle police force. The web sites have served for 12 years as the online home for a high-stakes fantasy football league organized by officers from the P.A.C.T Unit of the NRPD which includes Youth Officers who run the D.A.R.E. Program and the Youth Violence Task Force.
New Rochelle Police Block Public Access to Controversial Fantasy Football Web Site
The New Rochelle Police Department has issued new departmental Rules and Regulations for Social Media sites like Facebook and Twitter as well as blogs and online forums. The new policies come less than a year after a Talk of the Sound exposé on a XXX-Rated gambling web site run by current and former officers from the NRPD P.A.C.T. Unit. The department’s first ever Social Media policy went into effect on January 24, 2011. It explicitly states that as public employee, police officers do not have absolute First Amendment rights. Section 12.3 reads “As public employees, department members are cautioned that speech on-duty or off-duty, made pursuant to their official duties, is not protected speech under the First Amendment and may form the basis for disciplinary action if deemed detrimental to the department Department members should assume that their speech and related activity on social media sites will reflect upon their office and this department.”
The policy states that the such “prohibited speech” may serve as grounds for “undermining or impeaching an officer’s testimony in criminal proceedings” and warns that the department may be monitoring employee speech at any time without prior notice.
What was true then is true today — the hostile, misogynistic attitude towards women put on display by senior members of the New Rochelle police department raises serious questions about the fitness for duty of the officers involved and the leadership of New Rochelle Police Commissioner Patrick Carroll. The P.A.C.T. Unit is his creation, he permitted the group to operate their illicit website for over a decade on his watch.
When I sat yesterday with Suzanne Ribando in her backyard, I explained some of this to her to help her understand the full scope of the forces she has been up against — a group of individuals, some related, all interconnected, operating at all levels of government who had co-opted local law enforcement and the justice system in New Rochelle for their own ends. These are despicable people who will say and do anything to accomplish their nefarious ends whether that be for monetary gain, to help others in their network of so-called “untouchables” or just for the sport of it.
When I first viewed the NRPD P.A.C.T. Unit Fantasy Football League web site my initial reaction was “typical locker room humor” and a case of “boys will be boys”. I was quickly disabused of that notion. I sent a link to the site asking a half a dozen women, explaining my purpose, and asking for their unvarnished opinion of the site. Their reaction was immediate and uniform — disgust and outrage. One asked me how I would feel if my wife, my mother or sister, my daughters were the victim of sexual assault and the owner of a team like “Tits n’ Ass” was the responding officer. That got me thinking how it would feel to be an African-American or Latino crime victim giving a statement to the owner of a team like “Kill ’em All”. How would a family who lost a loved one to a drunk driver feel when they find out the cop managing the scene is the owner of the “Jack Daniels Boys” or “Da Drunks”. The web site was a ten-year dumpster dive into thoughtless, pig-like behavior by grown men sworn to uphold the law, permitted to carry a weapon and use it when the situation called for it.
Talking to some of the participating officers since the P.F.F.L. story ran, it is clear that some still have that attitude today. They profess bewilderment as to why the site was such a big deal. They choose not to consider the P.F.F.L. in the context of the rape of a young girl in front of her infant child by Sergeant David Rodriquez, a P.F.F.L. member, or the role of Detective Vinnie Mirabile, another P.F.F.L. member, in arresting Suzanne Ribando at the instigation of his boss at Beckwith Pointe, in league with his fellow officer, Detective Jeff Wilson, also an employee at Beckwith Pointe and possibly another P.F.F.L. member, or the role of Detective Ray Andolina, still another P.F.F.L. member in refusing to investigate the transmission of a pornographic image of a child by a school district employee, or the fact that Detective Bruce Danielle, a founding member of the P.F.F.L. holds a position coaching a varsity girls team at the New Rochelle High School. They chose not to consider how the racist, sexist, homophobic, misogynistic mentality put on display for over a decade by these members of the New Rochelle Police Department is a disgrace to them, to their department and to their City. They are certainly oblivious to the damage done when they and their fellow P.F.F.L. members are required to testify in court.
It was the combination of this network of “untouchables” and “he-man, woman-haters” that Suzanne Ribando bumped up against like a 10,000 volt wire. So long as the people of New Rochelle continue to allow the people identified in this case to control the levers of power in our City, no one is safe from these predators. Perhaps Suzanne Ribando’s ordeal can serve as a wake up call for New Rochelle residents. Perhaps.
This is the last in what was a planned series of articles on the Ribando-Hickey matter. With readers caught up on the story, Talk of the Sound will, of course, cover developments in this case. If you would like to discuss this further or ask questions, please call Talk of the Sound Radio on WVOX this Friday at 11 AM. Please call the show at 914-636-0110.
ribando story
this is one of the finest examples of writing i have seen in the written press. i am not going to discuss any direct or indirect assertions, allegations, or connections attendent to the story. There us plenty of these in the commentary. What i will say is (1) there is more than enough information to question why this woman went through what she did over what are very trivial “issues”, the involvement of others in the community, police, etal, seem not to reflect any form of measured or reasoned response. There is much more to question, but I would prefer to let the story rest as told by Bob Cox.
Surely the growing instances and audcacity of midtown crimes as just reported here would give any force more than enough to apply their skills. I am very pro police and see no reason to feel otherwise even given my disgust at the Ribando situation. On balance, we are fortunate to have them and their extra corricula antics are typical of a police force albeit a little over the top. remember they are a paramilitary force, under a level of stress than someone in the military would understand, and blowing off steam leads to this kind of thing. It is no big deal to me though it might be a good idea to tone it dwon somewhat.
I keep seeing the name Vincent Mirabile. I believe he is a member of a rather large, long standing family in New Rochelle. If I am right his brother raduated from the Air Force Academy and I remember others in the family many years earlier a a soccer coach in Youth Soccer. My memories of Vincent go back to his early days when he was on bicycle patrol. He spoike to our community group with humiklity and respnsiveness; seemed like a great lad and it would sadden me to think that he grew up in the system any other way.
I hear the Casa Calabria mentioned a number of times. I know and many of the readers know a number of fine, long-standing citizens of New Rochelle. Like in all organizations, there are likely some who can be questioned.
And, while it is fashionable to pin all matters in the City on Bramson, I applaud Cox for his straight narratve. I even see, perhaps not in full agreement, over his banning of the troll. Sure he was wrong, off base and message, but you would not have any problem putting this person in his/her place.
My time to get back on message — Mrs. Ribando even if she acted “wrong” on some occasions, did not warrant the pain and suffering she experienced. I am going to let the story stand as I have read it and if any facts merit challenge, just step up.
God Bless our police and first providers. Well done to Bob Cox for a piece of writing that would be welcome in any print page even if seen as “one-sided.” thing is, in this instance that doesn’t concern me. Others have ample opportunity to respond and present competing views. Let this woman rest at long last.
Please clarify, Misterg
Before I comment, I want to make sure I am summing up the below excerpt from your reply correctly.
I am very pro police and see no reason to feel otherwise even given my disgust at the Ribando situation. On balance, we are fortunate to have them and their extra corricula antics are typical of a police force albeit a little over the top. remember they are a paramilitary force, under a level of stress than someone in the military would understand, and blowing off steam leads to this kind of thing. It is no big deal to me though it might be a good idea to tone it dwon somewhat.
Is this to say that we should EXPECT some level of incompetency/dishonesty/swaying of the playing field, because of their “paramilitary” stress?
Bring in the Feds already,
Bring in the Feds already, City Hall needs a thorough enema.
Retire Mirabile
New Rochelle will be a better place when Mirabile retires and moves his ass to Florida. It would also lessen the work load for Internal Affairs, who is sooo familiar with his name.He should take his father with him too when he goes…that would be a two-for-one sale.
The mystery wrapped in a riddle inside an enigma finally unfolds
Throughout this story, one had to wonder just how these pyschopathic freaks were able to terrorize a woman for years without the truth coming out sooner. Now we see the inbred relation of a group of sick individuals. The torture they inflicted upon this woman is unconscionable and lacking any shred of moral compass.
It’s been said that all evil needs to prevail is for good men to do nothing. Luckily good men like Ms Ribando’s attorneys got involved and did something. Good men like Bob Cox were able to get the story out and expose the trash for what they are, to tie all the loose ends together and expose the seedy underbelly that continues to tarnish the many hard working people of this fine city. The Mayor may call it McCarthyism, but you have to uncover the dirt before you can clean it up. The investigations must continue. Watch this clip from “Cop Land”
http://youtu.be/Dzbkc3SN5Sc
Nothing will ever make up for what has happened, but that’s not to say they shouldn’t be punished beyond the full extent of the law. Even as this story is being told, members within Beckwithe are looking to get rid of Hickey. (Good luck trying to find a new job bucko, this story will haunt you wherever you go for an interview). This is a wake up to anyone who has ever been mistreated by the Hickeys, Wilsons or the other players in this story to come forward without fear because they can’t hurt you anymore. They’ve been exposed for what they are.
Although the resulting lawsuits against the city may cost millions, it pales in comparison to the price paid by this woman. The best revenge is living well and it should be a little sweeter knowing the hickeys will be paying for it. Best of luck to you Ms Ribando, you deserve it.
Hit Da Road Jack (I mean Pat )
First off,If I owned Beckwith Point I would fire everyone involved in this fiasco,The Hickeys,The Genarosos,the moonlighting cops.How and why would you let this psycopath be allowed to prepare food foe hundreds of people every day.If he was capable of doing this to this poor woman, and got this far with it,I would think twice about eating there.And this Linsey Genaroso,the only reason she has a job there is because of her father.Also,the slogan on the New Rochelle police dept.cars instead of saying To Protect and Serve,should read Rejects and Pervs.This should be taken to a federal leval.Good luck Ms.Ribando,maybe in the near future you will have new and better next door neighbors.
Im pretty Sure you watch to
Im pretty Sure you watch to much TV because I dont think the cars say to protect and to serve, This isnt the west coast my friend…
Bob Great reporting man always on top of things, to bad I can care less to read about how horrible this persons life is because there are always 2 sides to a story and your getting you info from someone who was sent to a mental hospital…. but it attracts readers right???
im pretty sure
I stand corrected Top of the Roc.On the side of the NR police cars it says”Courtsey-Professionalism-Respect”….AHHHHHH,If that was so true.Not in this case,SORRY !!!!!
Actually you are wrong
Actually you are wrong again… still laughing??
hickey story
draw your own concusions but seems as if justice has wonn out in this case. aside from the mccarthy reference (or are there too many irish considering the hickeys are irish), it seems like a first class piece of reporting and i am happy that this family should know some peace.
that’s enough for me. system seemed to have worked as it should. personally it is hard to even cope with a comment like “too many italians” they form a strong and vital city nucleus in new rochelle. but, maybe if you count Jerset Shore show, you have a small point but even here we have mixed nationalities.
maybe everyone should take a breath on this one and give bob his props. he earned them.
warren gross
a little different take
Obviously, having read this series, I find the whole case troubling.But something else occured to me . As a lifelong resident and someone who goes out to work every single morning while most everyone else is sleeping (4:30 am or so) I can assure you all that there are PLENTY of better uses for our police resources than chasing down angry neighbors- of course attempting to subdue a car thief or drug dealer is a lot less likely to result in the perp attempting to turn his “weapon” on himself- and could actually be dangerous. Perhaps you think I exaggerate- I wish it were so- I routinely see young men aimlessly wandering-often staggering through the streets- drugs are dealt out in the open (or why would two cars stop on the same street facing different directions as the driver of one saddles up to the window of the other)-yes I know- you actually have to have your eyes open to see these things. Tell the cops? Hah! I sent them right to the window of a building that a guy was dealing from- I don’t even have to ask if anything got done- I know who the cop thought the troublemaker was. Sorry for venting but reading the waste of resources in this case only served to confirm my belief that this isn’t a losing battle- its a lost one.
You are bottom of the barrel
Hey Top…what is the Hickey’s side of the story? Did’nt they tell it to the cops and DA? And were’nt they believed, without question? Was’nt Ribando ruthlessly prosecuted? You are an apologist for all that is wrong in this city. A friend of the rogue cops? Or the dysfunctional shanty Hickey’s? Or just another pig at the trough feeding off of your own little secret deal(s)at the expense of legitimate citizens and taxpayers?
nope none of the above, like
nope none of the above, like i said just always 2 sides to a story, hell I dont even know the Hickeys… but anyone who has to go to a mental hospital isnt a credible source
bottom feeder
I guess Top is not only a NR police officer,but a so called freeloading member of beckwith point,who moonlights there as so called security.
Wrong with both again your
Wrong with both again your just mad that I called you out for talking out of your ass like every other person on this forum…. oh and I would never belong to Beckwith to many Italians for my taste
Too many Italians?
sweet racism.
Im sorry did I offend you?
Im sorry did I offend you?
Offensive….
No, you didn’t offend me, but you certainly helped to invalidate all of your previous comments with that sort of abject stupidity.
TOO many Italians
TOO many Italians?????? Sounds like deputy commish Murph, he has always had it out for Italians and he is the main reason PD morale is sooooo low!
for the record…
That your defense of the Hickey’s is that Suzanne Ribando “was sent to a mental hospital” says a great deal about you. Unable to deal with the facts of the case you resort to precisely the sort of bullying behavior on display by the Hickeys and their accomplices. Pathetic.
I met with Suzanne Ribando for one, long in-depth interview. I used my notes to identify records to obtain to verify certain information she provided. As is evident from the articles, almost the entire series is based on police incident reports, official statements to NRPD, trial transcripts and depositions. In other words most of my information is coming from the New Rochelle Police Department, the New York State Unified Court System and depositions at which the witnesses were represented by counsel.
At the end of the day, the Hickeys got their day in court and a jury acquitted Ribando on 6 of the 8 counts — all the counts that were based on the credibility of the Hickeys, Dana Zaigos, and members of the New Rochelle police department. They got to tell their side of the story and failed to convince a jury. The two counts where Ribando was convicted were based on HER testimony that she was in the backyard and in the park. The 7th count is based on an unconstitutional court order. The 8th is based on a jury misunderstanding a wrongly obtained Order of Protection. Those two misdemeanors are highly likely to be thrown out on appeal which is precisely why Jimmy Generoso to what appear to be extraordinary measures to delay sentencing. Even the Probation Department got in the act of repudiating the Hickey’s case by recommending the lightest possible sentence as did Judge Carbone who endorsed the sentencing recommendation of the Probation office and took the unusual step of vacating an order issued by a colleague on the bench.
The idea that the Hickeys have not had a chance to tell their story is laughable — they have been telling THEIR story since 2006. Now Suzanne Ribando get a chance to have her story told for two weeks on Talk of the Sound and you want to pretend that this is somehow unfair to the Hickeys.
You are barking up the wrong tree if you are looking for sympathy for the Hickeys from me. They belong in prison and should be shunned by all of the good and honest people of New Rochelle.
cool man, pretty sure im not
cool man, pretty sure im not barking up anyones tree just saying people talked out their asses on here
“just saying'”
There IS someone on this comment thread talking out of their rear end. It’s Top of the Roc. What you are doing is behaving like a troll. You are not adding anything and just trying to hijack the discussion, misdirect attention, create issues that do not exist and otherwise get a rise out of people. The issue is not a phrase painted onto a police car or your racist comments or that Ribando was remanded to Mount Vernon hospital. The issue is the incestuous, corrupt nature of law enforcement and the justice system in New Rochelle and, more broadly the “friends and family” network which has been looting New Rochelle taxpayers for too long.
Trolls are not welcome here. Your account has been suspended for one week. You may contact me and request reinstatement after next Saturday.
Attracting Readers Because the Truth is Ugly
So we’ve seen court transcripts and testimony, info taken from police reports, and, yes, Ms Ribando’s side of the story, upheld mind you by the court system. Hickey and his wife were proven liars, pschycopathic in their behavior and a menace to their neighbor ( again proven by virtue of acquittal) and you’re saying there’s another side to the story? What’s the side of the story that you’re talking about? Do you know something that was left out? Do you have inside information? Where are YOU getting your information? Hickey and his wife deserve to be thrown out of his house and, if it was up to me, I would have them tarred and feathered so all would reckognize them for the trash they are. Maybe you should try plugging at least one of your holes so we could determine just which hole the noise is coming from.
I totally agree John D
I just don’t understand how ignorant people can be.
Given the facts, and blind to see. Unbelievable!!
You are a total fool
You are a total fool making such stupid, ignorant comments about something you know nothing about.
[edited to conform to the no ALL CAPS rule]
One nagging question
John, I agree with everything you write.
However, at least one nagging question about this incredible case remains in my mind — what was Hickey’s motive? Was he just a deranged psycho who developed a fixation on Ms. Ribando? If so, was he that powerful as to cause so much of official NR and Westchester County to join in his psychotic vendetta against this poor victimized woman?
It begs the question — is the power structure so competent as to be able to carry on this apparent conspiracy for so long? Did Ms. Ribando reach out to other resources such as her congresswoman, the press (in addition to Mr. Cox), perhaps the NY Attorney General’s office, perhaps retain a more aggressive attorney much earlier? Did she need to be so seemingly passive for for so long? Perhaps she was suffering so severely from the family problems Mr. Cox outlines, or other problems not disclosed, that it left her vulnerable to serve as the designated doormat for the nut next door?
I hope some more clarification will emerge from the civil lawsuits which are pending and if Ms. Ribando or your lawyers are reading this, in my opinion you are asking far too little in financial compensation for the years of agony you were subjected to.
And heads should roll.
one nagging question
At the very least Internal Affairs should be brought in. I know for a fact it would not be the first complaint lodged against Mirabile.Wilson, is also hanging by a thread with regard to integrity.
one nagging question
Good question since one would naturally wonder how things went so far. In speaking with a couple of police officers (nothing to do with this case), both told of how nieghbor disputes have a way of escalating out of control in a step by step process. It starts with one small dispute. Then someone holds a grudge causing them to look for a reason to continue with the complaining. They get frustrated when there’s no immediate or direct punishment for their self perceived injury. That just ups the ante. The course of action usually follows whatever path available to that person. In this case, Hickey presumablly had police friends to assist him with his jihad. If he owned a store that sells spray paint, who knows, he might hava had grafitti artists tune up her property. Anyhow, it just spins out of control until something really bad or someone intervenes. Could take days, weeks or, as in this case, years to burst. In hindsight, you ask ” how did it get to this point?” yet as it played out it was a series of small, under the radar incidents that lead up to it. I would bet that for the majority of good and honest officers that there is actually training in how to diffuse neighbor disputes rather than taking one side over another. Hard to believe, maybe, but I’m told it happens more than you would think.