Dear Fellow Long Islanders,

Hello. My name is John Menso. I am a forty eight year old Nassau County resident.

At one time in my life I was a decorated police officer and detective investigator, employed by the City of New York.

At another time in my life, sadly, I was the victim of a criminal conspiracy, orchestrated and supervised by Sergeant Robert S. Piampiano, of the private Old Brookville Police Department.

On July 4, 2000, while acting in deference to one of his employers instead of his sworn oath of duty, Sergeant Robert S. Piampiano knowingly and intentionally abused his police authority by ordering that I be arrested, "without probable cause."

Additionally, the public records of my trial and criminal investigation into Sergeant Piampiano's conduct, shows Sergeant Piampiano caused one of his officers to falsify at least one official police document in order to facilitate this criminal conspiracy against me, and The People of The State of New York. The same people who trusted Sergeant Piampiano to discharge his sworn duty in a manner consistent with the law.

The public record of my trial and the criminal investigation into Sergeant Robert S. Piampiano's conduct shows that Sergeant Piampiano ordered a Detective to investigate the same routine criminal matter Sergeant Piampiano had already arrested me for.

The public record shows that the police officer Sergeant Piampiano assigned to arrest me, and the detective Sergeant Piampiano assigned to investigate this routine case, failed to conduct a lawful and proper criminal investigation.

Dear Fellow Islander, it is my intent to convey to you the facts of this public case. I am not looking to engage in "name calling." I do not have to because I have the truth, facts and evidence to support my allegations.

But, with regard to Sergeant Piampiano ordering a detective to investigate this matter, I have to make a personal comment.

Sergeant Piampiano ordered his detective investigator, from his home, family and friends, on a national holiday, with overtime pay, to investigate this routine misdemeanor arrest.

During a conversation with ADA Frank Quigley, Chief of The Special Investigations Bureau for The Nassau County District Attorney's Office, I learned that assigning a detective to investigate the criminal case I was arrested for was "highly unusual." As a former detective investigator who spent ten years serving the Brooklyn community of Bedford Stuyvesant, I agree with ADA Quigley's comment.

I also believe that ordering a detective from his home, to assist Sergeant Piampiano with his criminal conspiracy was a reprehensible act on the part of Sergeant Piampiano.

Picture the detective at home with his family and friends, celebrating Independence Day. His boss calls him and says I need you to come in to work. The detective obeys his boss and shows up ready to investigate. Suddenly he finds himself immersed in a criminal case with more loose ends than a ragged mop.

Through know fault of his own, he also finds himself in a precarious position. Does he conduct a thorough and lawful investigation? Or does he assist with the conspiracy Sergeant Piampiano has already entangled him in?

I would suggest that any reasonable person reviewing the public record of my trial would conclude the detective chose to assist his supervisor and contribute to the criminal acts of Official Misconduct precipitated by Sergeant Robert S. Piampiano.

Sergeant Piampiano was not satisfied with dragging the arresting officer into his web of deceit and lies. Sergeant Piampiano apparently determined that introducing a detective investigator into his conspiracy might tend to add legitimacy to the unsubstantiated criminal case he arrested me for.

This, My Dear Fellow Islanders, is one of the primary reasons why I find Sergeant Piampiano contemptible.

Notwithstanding his sworn duties, Sergeant Robert S. Piampiano has a duty to act as a role model for his subordinates. One of his duties and responsibilities is to instill honor and integrity among his officers and detectives.

I believe Sergeant Piampiano chose to ignore his obligations and duty to his officers when, in deference to one of his employers, William Finetta of 1912 Route 106, Muttontown, NY, he ordered me placed under arrest without conducting a lawful investigation.

Sergeant Piampiano not only put himself at risk of criminal prosecution, he placed the same men he swore to protect at risk when he chose not to conduct a lawful investigation with regards to arresting me.

As a result, the arresting officer and detective investigator assigned to this case by Sergeant Robert S. Piampiano were left with little choice but to offer false testimony, under oath, at my trial. Based on my training and experience as a former police officer and detective investigator, there is no doubt in my mind that Sergeant Piampiano Betrayed the trust of his officers when he passively coerced them into supporting his criminal conduct.

This, in my opinion, makes Robert S. Piampiano a disloyal, untrustworthy citizen and police official.

Dear Fellow Islander, the moment Sergeant Piampiano informed me I was being placed under arrest, I knew I was going to trial. I did not commit a crime and the six regular folks from our Long Island community who heard Sergeant Piampiano's case, agreed.

In fact, I spoke with the jurors after the trial. After being warmly greeted with hugs and handshakes, they told me they never even considered or deliberated the charges of law the Judge read to them. They said I was outright not guilty.

The Jurors also told me the complaining witness, who Sergeant Piampiano interviewed just prior to arresting me, repeatedly lied under oath. They said her story did not make sense when measured against real evidence in the case. Evidence that Sergeant Robert S. Piampiano caused to be taken into police custody for use in a criminal prosecution. The same exculpatory evidence Sergeant Piampiano testified he NEVER even examined before or after he ordered me placed under arrest.

Sergeant Robert S. Piampiano also offered patently false testimony that caused one juror's head to violently wrench back. In the face of tangible and circumstantial evidence that I wanted to cooperate with the police, Sergeant Piampiano (maliciously) testified that when he attempted to interview me prior to arresting me, I refused to cooperate with his investigation. The same investigation I called 911 for.

Dear, Fellow Long Islander, I have created a webpage describing the events that led to Sergeant Piampiano ordering me placed under arrest...and the grief that ensued after I was falsely arrested.

The webpage describes what I was put through as a result of Sergeant Robert S. Piampiano's criminal conduct. It does not describe the days I had to take off from work to make court appearances. It does not describe the trips to my attorney's office, nor the over five thousand dollars it cost me for the jury to say Sergeant Piampiano's complaining witness repeatedly lied to them.

My webpage does not account for the time I spent sitting in the municipal parking lot located across the street from the courthouse. I had to get to the lot by 8:15AM in order to secure a parking spot. My scheduled court appearances were for 9:30AM.

My webpage does not mention the time I had to spend standing at the entrance to the Nassau County PD Booking and Detention facility, waiting for the booking officer to put the sports pages down before fingerprinting and photographing me for my *permanent arrest record*...(big frown).

My webpage does not fully describe the other victims of Sergeant Robert S. Piampiano's criminal conduct. Besides me, the primary victims of the criminal conspiracy orchestrated by Robert S. Piampiano are the jurors.

These folks, approximately between thirty-five and sixty-five years of age, came to court and volunteered to become jurors. I say,"volunteered", because during the selection process, they demonstrated they were honest and reasonably intelligent people. I am quite sure these six honest and intelligent citizens took their responsibilities to our community and the Court seriously.

After temporarily rearranging their lives in order to perform their civic duty, I am left wondering how they might feel about volunteering again in the future?

Not only were the three women and three men who heard my case victimized by Sergeant Robert S. Piampiano, so was our criminal justice system. Not to mention the thousands of dollars it cost our County to process my arrest and prosecute me...all for the jury to say, Mr. Menso, we heard evidence that Sergeants Robert S. Piampiano told us he did not examine or consider before he arrested you. Upon hearing this evidence we determined that Sergeant Robert S. Piampiano's complaining witness repeatedly lied to us under oath.

I would also like to mention victims not directly related to this case. Sergeant Piampiano's employer's friend's name is Paula Nichols. She is the complaining witness in the criminal case Sergeant Robert S. Piampiano caused to be brought against me.

I spoke with only six of Paula Nichols's former neighbors/victims. They ALL characterized her as a, "nutcase." The most telling statement concerning Sergeant Piampiano's complaining witness, came from a neighbor who lived on Nichols' block for nearly twenty years before she moved in. He said, "never saw a cop on this block until Paula Nichols moved in." More comments from Paula Nichols' former neighbors/victims can be found at my webpage.

In January of 2001, peace and tranquility was restored to this neighbor's block when Paula Nichols, decided to move to the State Of Washington, just two weeks before a trial date she agreed to only four weeks earlier. The good people of Pauley Drive, West Hempstead, NY, Nichols' former residence, no longer had to contend with a neighbor who had no respect for them, or herself.

I wish I could say the same about Paula Nichols's new neighbors/victims. Did I mention Paula Nichols testified she was under the influence of four of the five medications prescribed to her by her psychiatrist when Sergeant Robert S. Piampiano interviewed her and subsequently ordered I be arrested?

Paula Nichol's clearly committed violent crimes against me on the night I was arrested. Sergeant Robert S. Piampiano intentionally ignored her crimes and as a result, the prosecutors stood behind their cops and prosecuted me.

Dear Fellow Islanders, while Paula Nichols is no longer a threat to our community, she has been allowed to roam free and prey on other citizens. Sergeant Robert S. Piampiano, among others, caused this potential threat to other citizens to exist.

My webpage cannot begin to define the personal grief Sergeant Piampiano's criminal conduct caused me. First, he saddled me with an arrest record for the rest of my life. I spent my whole life avoiding trouble only to be arrested by a corrupt police sergeant who was committing a criminal act when he arrested me. Folks, you have no idea what this did to my head. I was sick for many months. The fact that I had to shell out thousands of dollars because Sergeant Piampiano decided to abuse his authority as a police official, devastated me.

Dear, Fellow Islander, you are probably asking yourself the same question I have been asking for sometime now. "If the criminal investigation preceding Menso's trial is as flawed as he claims it is, why was Menso prosecuted?"

Dear Fellow Islander, I do not have a reasonable explanation for you. Neither did ADA Frank Quigley when he informed me of the results of his nearly six month long criminal investigation into allegations of official misconduct and perjury against Sergeant Robert S. Piampiano and others.

Dear Fellow Islander, I believe it is my responsibility to alert my fellow citizens when there is substantial evidence to demonstrate a public official(s) has acted in a corrupt and criminal manner.

I am also attempting to hook up with a citizen who may have information that could be helpful to me. If you feel that is you, please feel free to contact me at the above e-mail address.

Dear Fellow Islander, with all due respect I would like to ask a favor of you. I would ask you consider lending your support to the community organizations that are seeking to establish a Police Civilian Complaint Review Board on Long Island.

Thank you for your time and patience.

Respectfully,

John Menso