Bethpage-Tribune_1985-03-28

              MRS M A R T H ^ PROCIOA
J2 S PCACt^ ST
D t T H P A G C NY 1 1 7 14
Island Trees Plainedge
also serving
Seaford Old Bethpage Plainyiew
VOL. 19 NO. 51 Week of March 28 - April 3,1985 20 cents per copy
Crack Down OnffoMgiias
Oyster Bay Town Super­visor
Joseph Colby, a
member of the Nassau
County Board of Supervi­sors
Committee on Consu­mer
Affairs and Hempstead
Town Presiding Supervisor
Thomas S. Gulotta, major­ity
leader of the Board,
jointly announced today
that a public hearing will be
held on April 3, 1985 to
examine the proliferation of
bootleg gasoline being sold
by gasoline retailers within
Nassau County.
According to Gulotta, the
hearing was prompted by
the findings of investiga­tions
conducted by the office
of Nassau's Consumer
Affairs Commissioner,
James Picken, which indi­cate
that the incidence of
bootleg gasoline being sold-to'unsuspecting
motorists i?
on the rise. Gulotta noted
that in the last three months
of 1984, 11 service stations
were fined for trading in
bootleg gasoline.
"The sale of adulterated
gasoline can come in many
forms," Supervisor Gulotta
noted. "Retailers may be
labelling gasoline octane
levels well above those that
are actually warranted. The
result: many motorists are
paying a premium price for
standard or sub-standard
gasoline.
"It has also been brought
to our attention that a
number of service stations
have resorted to selling a
mixture of leaded and
unleaded gasoline in place of
strictly unleaded gas. Cur-
• rent federal restrictuons limit
the lead content of unleaded !
gasoline to .05 grams per
gallon. The Consumer Af­fairs
office tells us that in
many cases unleaded gaso­line
is being sold with lead
levels as much as 100% over
federal guidelines: The
damage to the engine and
catalytic converter of an
automobile which is repeat­edly
run on gasoline with
such high traces of lead can
be considerable. It is not
uncommon for the owner of
a vehicle who has been vic­timized
in this manner to
sustain repair bills that run
well beyond a thousand
dollars."
Oyster Bay Supervisor
Joseph Colby has urged the
Board to conduct this hear­ing
to determine the nature
and scope of possible gaso­line
sales fraud. Colby stated
that: "Mislabeled gasoline
cheats the consumer'by forc­ing
him or her to pay much
more for a product that is
actually worth, it also can
result in substantial finan­cial
loss due to the increased
possibility of damage being
sustained by an automobile
that is regularly run on boo­tleg
gasoline."
Supervisor Gulotta sug­gested
that the Board
intended to formulate stiff
new penalties for those who
perpetrate mislabeled gaso­line
fraud on consumers.
Gulotta stated that: "While
the vast majority of those,
' who earn their livelihood
from the operation of a ser­vice
station are law-abiding
individuals who provide
genuine petroleum products
to their.customers, studies
clearly show that there exists
a small minority that has no
regard for the consumer. It
is apparent that these indi­viduals
will go to any length
in pursuit of increased prof­its.
It is our intention to
strengthen the penalties
associated with with the ille­gal
gasoline trade so as to
greatly diminish the finan­cial
rewards this activity
provides for a few unscrupu­lous
merchants."
Currently, the Consumer
Affairs Department can
assess a fine equal only to
the cost of the investigation
involved in each case. In
most instances, fines meted
out for bootleg gasoline -
fraud rarely exceed $500 per
violation'.
The Board is expected to
hear the testimony of Com­missioner
Picken, represen­tatives
of the Nassau Dis­trict
Attorney's office, the
Long Island Gasoline
" Retailers^ Assbciktion,'- the -
New York State Petroleum
Council and other interested
representatives. Public
commentary is invited.
The hearing will be held
on Wednesday, April 3,
beginning at 10 A.M. in the
5th Floor meeting room of
the Board of Supervisors, 1
West Street, Mineola, New
York.
~ Supervisor Gulotta urged
interested individuals to
attend this important hear­ing
stating, "The problem of
bootleg gasoline is one that
effects VirtUa 1 ly every
household. While most vic­tims
of this money making
scheme will only lose a few
pennies per occurence, those
who repeatedly utilize ser­vice
stations that operate
with mislabeled gasoline
risk serious damage to their
automobile and significant
financial loss."
Externtihating Firm Losses License
Eastern Exterminating
Co. of Bethpage has been
found guilty of contaminat­ing
16 Long Island houses
with chlordaiie between
1978 and 1983 has lost an
appeal to remain in
business.
A four-judge panel of the
Appellate Division of State
Supreme Court Friday
unanimously upheld an
order by Environmental
Commissioner Henry B.
Williams that revoked their
operating license for mis­applying
the termiticide.
The revocation order was
issued by Williams last June.
Eastern had been allowed to
remain iri business pending
its appeal but was not
allowed to apply pesticides
whose use is restricted by the
S)tate, according to a spo­keswoman
for the attorney
general's office.
The appellate division rul­ing,
which is to take effect
this week, upholds Williams'
authority to issue the ban
after his department's admi­nistrative
review of the case,
rejects Eastern's technical
appeals and says that the
revokation was not a dis­proportionate
penalty in
light of "the serious risk to
the public health and safety
caused by the petitioner's
irresponsible and reckless
conduct."
Eastern was the first
exterminating firm on Long
Island to have, its licensed
revoked because its workers
cohtaminated houses with
chlordane.
A man who identified
himself as Eastern's office
manager said yesterday that
np company offjcials were
available for comment.
Motorcycle
Death
Joseph Chinnicci, 21, of
Ludwig Lane, Bethpage,
died after the motorcycle on
which he was a passenger
collided with a station
wagon in Freeport, Nassau
County police said.
According to police, the
motorcycle, operated by
Karl Donhenfelfer, 21, of
116 Evan Ave., was travel­ing
north on Long Beach
Avenue when it collided
with a station wagon driven
by William Burke, 51, of 15
Mayflower Ct., Freeport,
which was westbound on
Lena Avenue.
Chinnicci was pro­nounced
dead at 5:20 a.m. at
Lydia E. Hall Hospital in
Freeport. Donnenfelfer is in
seri^ous condition at Nassau,
County Me'clicar Center' in
East Meadow with fractured
legs, a fractured right arm
and internal injuries.
Burke is in serious condi­tion
at the medical center
with possible leg fractures
and internal injuries.
No charges were filed
against either driver.
Photo Contest
Deadline
The deadlinefor the sub­mission
of photographs in
the "Winter Garden Ama­teur
Photo Contest,'-' which
is being sponsored by EAB
Plaza, has been extended to
April 30.
. A spokesman for the
event, which is open to ama­teur
photo buffs of all ages,
said that due to unexpected
public interest entries in
either the black and white or
color categories will be con­sidered
through the end of
April-
Individuals or representa­tives
from local amateur
camera clubs are invited to
call Diane Zavacki at (516)
822-5500 for entry rules and
information.
West Side Story
Holy Trinity Diocesah
High SchooPs Department
of the Performing Arts will
present the classic musical.
West Side Story, on April
26, 27, May 3, and4, at 8:00
P.M. in the Trinity Theatre."
Tickets are $4.00 at the door
and $3.50 if purchased in
advance at the Holy Trinity
Bookstore. For more infor­mation,
plpase call 516 433
2900.
Blidk Oil The Job
Assemblyman Fred Parola, recovering from a near fatal
automobile accident, is pictured above on thefirsfday of his
return to the Assembly Chamber Albany. Parola was forced
to miss votes for the first time in his legislative career due to
an accident incurred while travelling from his home in the
14th Assembly District to Albany. During the early morning
hours of Monday, Feb. 19, Parola swerved to avoid a dog on
Wantagh Parkway. Ahhoiigh he missed the animal, Parola's
vehicle hit a hidden tree stump. His injuries included 90
stitches, a concussion and contusions, and torn ligaments to
his ankle and foot and his car was totalled. Despite being
excused from the legislative session that day, Parola
returned to Albany the following week to make up the
missed votes, thus continuing the perfect voting record that
he has maintained for more than six years.
Insurance fraud
Indictments
Nassau County District
Attorney Denis Dillion
today announced the
indictment of five individu­als
for engaging in a scheme •
to defraud various consu­mers
of automobile insu­rance
arid various assigned
insurance firms by failing to
submit collected insurance
premium downpayments.
From November, 1982 to
February, 1984, the defend­ants
operating as either
Competition Insurance or
Consumer Facilities, Ltd
both in Levittown, defrauded
more than 100 motorists and
25 insurance firms out of
more than fifty thousand
dollars. Those charged with
multiple counts of Grand
Larceny Second and Third
Degree and. Scheme to
Defraud First Degree are
Michael Pennachio, 25, of
49 Roosevelt Drive in Beth­page;
Vincent Fiorello, 57,
of 5 Jerbme PI., Copiague;^.
Francis Mennella Jr., 24,
Francis Mennella; Sr., 48,
both of 6 Nome Drive in
Woodbury and Edward
Kriegal, 23, of 700 Shore
Rd., Long Beach. "The
arrests follow a joint investi-gatior\-
with the DA's Com­mercial
Frauds Bureau and
the New YorK State
Department of Insurance
Frauds Bureau.