11 July 2008
DA, Police Department Smash Heroin Distribution Ring
Tapped phones, surveillance leads to 10 arrests, including the ex-boyfriend of a Massapequa girl who was the victim of a heroin-related death last month
MINEOLA, NY – Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice and Nassau County Police Commissioner Lawrence Mulvey announced Wednesday morning the results of a sweeping investigation into heroin distribution in Nassau County. The investigation led authorities across county lines and into Queens, where seven weeks of wiretaps and surveillance uncovered a large scale operation that Rice says has resulted in 10 arrests, including the ex-boyfriend of 18-year-old Natalie Ciappa, who was found to be the victim of a heroin-related death at a Seaford house party last month.
Rice and Mulvey were joined at Wednesday’s press conference by the Ciappa family, Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi and members of both the NCPD and NCDA’s narcotics divisions.
In addition to the arrest of Ciappa’s ex-boyfriend, the investigation led authorities to the ringleaders of the network, brothers Alexander and Edward Fontanet of Queens.
Rice said that the investigation began in February 2008, with Nassau County Police Department detectives uncovering widespread heroin dealing at the Hempstead Bus Terminal. Intelligence uncovered during the initial investigation led detectives to a Roosevelt home which is believed to be a Nassau County distribution point being used by the Queens ring. A search warrant executed at the Roosevelt house resulted in the seizure of 804 glassine envelopes of heroin. Each glassine envelope of heroin is considered a dose of the deadly drug. As a result of the search warrant, detectives obtained significant intelligence regarding the network’s suspected primary source, the Fontanet brothers, and their Nassau County counterparts, Donald Kurth of Merrick, and Patrick Graf of Massapequa.
In May, District Attorney Kathleen Rice applied to the Court for an eavesdropping warrant on two cellular phones used by the Fontanet brothers. Nassau County Judge Frank A. Gulotta signed the warrant and eventually allowed the District Attorney to expand the scope of the warrant to include cellular phones used by Kurth and Graf.
As a result of the DA’s wiretaps and the police department’s surveillance of the network, significant additional evidence was obtained against Alexander Fontanet’s wife, Lorraine Cianciulli, his Queens colleague Jose Demenech, the girlfriend of Kurth, Heather Wahl, and the wife of Graf, Melissa Graf. Evidence was also obtained against Damon Marinacci of Syosset, and Phillip Ordaya of Seaford.
On June 17, 2008, the Fontanet brothers, Lorraine Cianciulli, Jose Demenech, Donald Kurth, Heather Whal, Patrick and Melissa Graff and Damon Marinacci were arrested.
Phillip Ordaya is the ex-boyfriend of Natalie Ciappa, an 18-year-old Massapequa girl found to be the victim of a heroin-related death June 21 at a Seaford house party.
Rice said that after the Ciappa tragedy, detectives investigating the incident obtained information regarding an old boyfriend of Natalie’s, Phillip Ordaya. Detectives quickly determined that Ordaya was a previously unidentified subject involved in the wiretapped telephone conversations of the investigation into the Queens-Nassau ring. As a result of the connection, Ordaya was placed under surveillance and eventually arrested on a drug conspiracy charge July 7.
Rice said that authorities now know definitively that heroin played a role in the death of Ciappa, though the final toxicology results are not expected to be complete for another few weeks. The investigation into any possible direct linkage between Ciappa’s overdose and Ordaya’s alleged heroin dealing is ongoing.
Two additional heroin possession arrests were made pursuant to this investigation and Rice said that more are expected. Rice also said that she expects to upgrade the charges against several of the defendants involved based on the continuing investigation.
Search warrants executed at the Fontanet homes following their arrests resulted in the seizure of more than 1,000 glassine envelopes of heroin and extensive paraphernalia and equipment used to package and sell heroin.
A warrant executed at Graf’s Massapequa home and car resulted in the seizure of nearly 500 packages of heroin.
A search of Marinacci pursuant to his arrest resulted in the seizure of 15 individually packaged doses of heroin.
A search of Kurth’s Massapequa home resulted in the seizure of 106 glassine envelopes of heroin.
A search of Ordaya pursuant to his arrest resulted in the seizure of glassine envelopes distinctively marked with terms and known brands discussed frequently by the distribution network during their recorded communications.
Rice said that heroin arrests have steadily increased since 2000, culminating with the arrest of 151 people for sale or possession of the drug in 2007. Since 2007, there have been 37 suspected heroin overdoses in Nassau County.
Rice and Mulvey praised the work of Nassau County Police Department detectives from the newly created Heroin Investigation Team (HIT) within the Narcotics & Vice Squad of the police department. Rice also commended the work of Assistant District Attorney Irene Angelakis and Assistant District Attorney and Deputy Bureau Chief of Narcotics Kristen Fexas, along with Investigators James Whiston and Warren Hacke.
Rice and Mulvey also thanked the Long Island office of the United States Drug Enforcement Agency for their assistance in this investigation.
The charges against the defendants are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
