Thread: Putnam D.A.'s illegal alien ex-trainer charged with rape of girl (update)

Putnam D.A.'s ex-trainer charged with rape of girl


SOUTHEAST — The former live-in personal trainer for Putnam County District Attorney Adam Levy — who has made child-abuse cases a top priority for his office — has been charged with “forcibly and violently” raping a 12-year-old girl twice, authorities said Thursday.

Alexandru Hossu, 35, an illegal immigrant from Romania, was arrested at 10:30 p.m. Wednesday and arraigned in Patterson Town Court on two counts of first-degree rape, a felony.

Hossu lived in the district attorney’s home on Indian Wells Road in Southeast until about six months ago, Levy’s office said.

Levy, 44, is the son of Judy Sheindlin, TV’s Judge Judy. He was elected in 2007 after he ran unopposed to succeed Kevin Wright, who held the job for two decades.

The criminal complaint alleges Hossu forcibly raped the child twice between 7 and 10 p.m. Oct. 24, 2010, when she was 12.

“(Hossu) did place his hand on the victim’s neck and squeeze, then pulled her down onto the bed,” the felony complaint from the Putnam Sheriff’s Office said. “The defendant did forcibly engage in sexual intercourse without the victim’s implied consent.”

The accusation came to the attention of authorities recently, after the victim spoke to a school counselor, the Putnam Sheriff’s Office said. The girl, now 15, and Hossu “reportedly knew each other,” the office said.
“This was a vicious crime committed against a little girl,” Sheriff Donald B. Smith said.

The alleged rape occurred in Southeast, but not at Levy’s home, his office said, adding that his 15-year-old daughter was not the victim.

Levy did not immediately respond to The Journal News’ questions about whether he knew Hossu was an illegal immigrant.

When elected, Levy said his top priorities for Putnam were the prosecution of drunken drivers and cases involving child abuse, sexual assault and domestic violence.

Hossu is being held in the Putnam County Jail in Carmel on $50,000 cash or $100,000. He is due in Southeast Town Court on April 2.

Hossu is from Romania, in the U.S. illegally. He entered the country on a work visa that expired about 12 years ago. A federal detainer has been placed on him, which could lead to deportation proceedings.

He reportedly has been working in Putnam as a personal fitness trainer for several years, the Sheriff’s Office said.

A receptionist at World Gym in Pawling confirmed that Hossu had worked there and at the World Gym in Southeast as a personal trainer, but had been dismissed Wednesday or Thursday.

The Westchester District Attorney’s Office will prosecute the case in Putnam. Levy “requested that the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office handle this case owing to the fact that Mr. Levy knew the person arrested, said Laurie Mainey, Levy’s administrative assistant. “Beyond that, we have no further comment.”

Levy practiced law in Carmel and was president of the Putnam County Bar Association. He also was an assistant district attorney in Suffolk County.

Reaction from officials in Putnam, where many consider politics a blood sport, was muted Thursday.
County Executive MaryEllen Odell and the sheriff did not return messages for comment Thursday. Victor Grossman, a longtime lawyer in Carmel, said the charges are shocking.

“I don’t know any of the factual allegations. We have to let the facts come out. That is all I can say,” said Grossman, the county’s Democratic Party chairman, who emphasized he was speaking only as a local attorney. “I trust the victim is safe, and we have to see where the facts take this case.”

​http://www.lohud.com/article/2013032...nclick_check=1

Putnam sheriff: D.A. Levy tries to influence rape case

Written by

SHAWN COHEN, JAMES O’ROURKE AND LEE HIGGINS

Putnam County,New York

SOUTHEAST — Putnam County District Attorney Adam Levy is trying to use his office to mislead the public and influence the rape investigation focused on his former live-in personal trainer, Putnam County Sheriff Donald B. Smith said Friday.

Smith said he has formally requested that federal officials investigate whether Levy broke any laws by aiding Alexandru Hossu, who was charged Wednesday with two counts of first-degree rape, a felony.

“In my view, Mr. Levy’s comments and actions would seem to suggest that, if he could have his own way, Mr. Hossu would never have been brought to justice for his crime and Mr. Levy’s relationship with him would have never been brought to the light of public scrutiny,” Smith said in a statement Friday night.

Hossu, 35, was arrested at 10:30 p.m. Wednesday and arraigned in Patterson Town Court. Authorities have accused him of “forcibly and violently” raping a 12-year-old girl twice.

In an exclusive interview Friday, Levy, the son of TV’s Judge Judy, refused to clarify his relationship with Hossu, a Romanian man who lived in his million-dollar house. The district attorney would only say that his family had merely known him for years. Hossu identified the home as a legal address to both arresting officers and the judge at his arraignment. Hossu has had an immigration detainer placed on him since his arrest and could face deportation, was in the U.S. illegally.

“I had absolutely no idea whatsoever of his immigration status,” Levy said. He also said that an investigation will show that Hossu had a valid driver’s license and Social Security number and was licensed by New York to run a business with a woman who is now his ex-wife. “Why would anyone not think he was here legitimately?” Levy said.

Smith’s accusations came after the Sheriff’s Office and Levy, in a series of statements issued Thursday and Friday, disagreed about several key factors of the case, including Hossu’s true address and the decision for Levy to recuse his office from the investigation.

Levy’s office Thursday claimed that Hossu lived at the district attorney’s home at 70 Indian Wells Road until about six months ago. Levy would not reassert that claim Friday, but instead stated that Hossu resided at 512 Clock Tower Commons Drive in Brewster, which is where he was arrested.

After The Journal News reported that information, Southeast Building Inspector Michael Levine said there was no residence at that address, which is home to the Clock Tower Grill.

Levy then issued a second statement with a second address for Hossu, claiming he lives at 221 Clock Tower Commons Drive. That address appears to be a doctor’s office and another office. No one answered the door at either.

Levy on Friday said Smith’s office “erroneously listed Mr. Hossu’s address as 70 Indian Wells Road, my address.”

In response, Smith said that Hossu told authorities he lived at Levy’s Indian Wells Road home and that his driver’s license and post office-listed mailing address confirmed the address as his residence. Later Friday, Smith also rebuffed Levy’s previous claim that he had decided to recuse his office from the Hossu investigation and accused Levy of trying to affect the investigation through continued official statements.

“From Mr. Levy’s statement today — and from other communications that have come out of his office in this case — in actuality it appears that he has failed to honor or abide by the recusal decision of the investigative team,” Smith said. “Rather, he is apparently trying to influence and (affect) the investigation, which could be perceived as an ethical violation of his official duties and perhaps even as an attempt to undermine it.”

Smith claims an assistant district attorney from Levy’s office who was involved with the Hossu investigation was the first to raise the idea of recusal. The Westchester District Attorney’s Office is currently handling Hossu’s case.

Levy and Smith began feuding openly last summer when Levy moved to let town and village attorneys plea-bargain traffic tickets issued by deputies over Smith’s objections. Eventually, Levy got the better of the argument; town and village attorneys now handle traffic tickets in all municipalities except Cold Spring, which has no village attorney.

Levy’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment following Smith’s accusations Friday night.
Levy, 44, was elected in 2007 after he ran unopposed to succeed Kevin Wright, who held the job for two decades. He is a son of Judy Scheindlin, TV’s Judge Judy. She issued a statement Friday saying, “The sole focus of this story should be the investigation as to whether a young girl was the victim of a very serious crime. Shifting that focus to celebrity does the justice system a grave disservice.”

The criminal complaint alleges Hossu forcibly raped the child twice between 7 and 10 p.m. Oct. 24, 2010, when she was 12.
“(Hossu) did place his hand on the victim’s neck and squeeze, then pulled her down onto the bed,” the felony complaint from the Putnam Sheriff’s Office said. “The defendant did forcibly engage in sexual intercourse without the victim’s implied consent.”

The rape accusations came to the attention of authorities recently, after the victim spoke to a school counselor, the Sheriff’s Office said. The girl, now 15, and Hossu “reportedly knew each other,” the office said.

The alleged rape occurred in Southeast, but not at Levy’s home, his office said, adding that his 15-year-old daughter was not the victim.

According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Internal Revenue Service, an employer of a domestic worker who regularly performs child care, household tasks or other upkeep of a home or property for money or other benefits must fill out a Form I-9. The form is used to verify the identity and employment authorization of individuals hired to work in the U.S.
An I-9 does not need to be completed if a domestic worker provides “sporadic, irregular or intermittent” work or is employed by a domestic service company or agency employing temporary domestic workers.

When elected, Levy said his top priorities for Putnam were the prosecution of drunken drivers and cases involving child abuse, sexual assault and domestic violence.

Hossu is being held in Putnam County jail in Carmel on $50,000 cash or $100,000 bond. He is due in Southeast Town Court on April 2.

Hossu entered the country on a work visa that expired about 12 years ago.

Hossu has an active social media presence, with 853 tweets posted to his @hotyonex Twitter account. In many postings, he expresses love for his apparent girlfriend, Jennifer Bartlett, 21. Public records show Bartlett’s home address at Levy’s Indian Wells Road home.

“Can’t wait to hang with my baby,” Hossu wrote in a March 2 posting that mentions Bartlett, a fellow fitness buff he apparently began dating early last year.

Hossu’s social media persona portrays a highly motivated man devoted to living a healthy lifestyle, undertaking rigorous workouts and planning meet-ups with physical fitness clients. He describes hanging out in bars and watching “Family Guy.” There is almost no mention of interactions with children, though he does describe a baby-sitting situation.
“Babysitting 7 kids not fun,” he tweeted May 5, 2012.

Hossu also uses the hotyonex handle on Facebook, and a website called sugardaddyforme.com, a personals directory for young women seeking older men, lists a hotyonex who is 39 years old, earns between $100,000 and $200,000, is 6 feet, 8 inches tall and lives in New Milford, Conn.

Levy bought the land on Indian Wells Road in 2002 for $295,000. The home is assessed at $1,140,200.
http://www.lohud.com/article/20130322/NEWS04/303220034/Putnam-sheriff-D-Levy-tries-influence-rape-case

Putnam rape victim's relative: Suspect boasted of D.A. ties

Mar 23, 2013 |

Purchase Image

Putnam County District Attorney Adam Levy at an appearance in October. / Joe Larese/The Journal News

Written by

SHAWN COHEN AND MICHAEL RISINIT


ZOOM

Alexandru Hossu / Putnam County Sheriff's Department



The Putnam County district attorney’s former live-in personal trainer, who’s been charged with raping a 12-year-old girl, bragged about working for the county’s top prosecutor and was well known to be an illegal immigrant, according to a relative of the alleged victim.

The relative’s statements provide more details about Alexandru Hossu, 35, who was charged last week with two counts of first-degree rape, and whose arrest has fed a feud between District Attorney Adam Levy and Putnam County Sheriff Donald B. Smith.

“I knew he was working for the D.A. Alex told everybody that,” the relative said. “She (the girl’s mother) told me that he’s an illegal alien, back when I first heard about him, years ago. Everybody knew that.”

The relative’s words undermine assertions by Levy, son of TV’s “Judge Judy” Sheindlin, that he wasn’t aware Hossu had overstayed a work visa he used to enter the U.S. from Romania more than a decade ago.

The relative, who spoke to The Journal News Friday and Saturday, said Hossu became friendly with the girl’s mother a few years ago at a local gym. It led to a serious relationship that ended more than a year ago, the relative said. The Journal News is not identifying the relative in order to protect the victim’s identity.

Levy has said he “had absolutely no idea whatsoever of (Hossu’s) immigration status” and an investigation will show Hossu had a valid driver’s license and Social Security number.

Hossu is accused of “forcibly and violently” raping the 12-year-old girl twice in October 2010. The rape accusations recently surfaced after the victim spoke to a school counselor, officials said.

The victim had not told the relative about the rape. When the relative asked the girl about it on Friday night, the girl said “I was told not to say anything about it.”

The sheriff has accused Levy of using his office to mislead the public and influence the rape investigation. The relative is now furious at Hossu and Levy.

“I don’t care if this takes down the D.A.,” the relative said. “It’s heartbreaking that (the girl) carried this all by herself and didn’t tell us. If I had known it earlier, I would have had that bald-headed freak (Hossu) pulled into court long ago.”

Levy, who didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday, has criticized the sheriff for wrongly stating Hossu lived at his million-dollar Southeast home. But Hossu’s driver’s license lists Levy’s Indian Wells Road address, the sheriff said, which is the same address Hossu gave to authorities. On Friday, Levy offered two addresses as Hossu’s residence, both in Clocktower Commons and one of which was an office for GOP state Sen. Greg Ball’s Senate campaign.

In 2005, Hossu and Corey Wallis Smith formed Livewell Fitness, Inc. in New Milford, Conn., according to incorporation papers filed in that state. Visited at her current personal training business in New Milford on Saturday, Smith referred questions to her attorney, Jay Hogan of Southeast. Hogan didn’t respond to a voicemail or an email.

Hossu is being held in Putnam County jail in Carmel on $50,000 cash or $100,000 bond. He is due in Southeast Town Court on April 2.

http://www.lohud.com/article/2013032...boasted-D-ties

May 6, 2013 1:13 PM

Written by
Terence Corcoran
lohud.com


Alexander Hossu is led into Southeast Town Court by Putnam County court officers for a felony hearing on March 26, 2013. ( Frank Becerra Jr / The Journal News ) / Frank Becerra Jr./The Journal News

OUTHEAST — An illegal immigrant from Romania who once served as the live-in personal trainer for Putnam County District Attorney Adam Levy is scheduled to appear Tuesday in Southeast Town Court to answer charges accusing him of raping a 12-year-old girl in 2010.

A court clerk said Monday that Alexandru Hossu is scheduled to appear at 3 p.m.

Hossu, 35, has been held at the Putnam County jail — on high bail and a federal immigration-detainer warrant — since his March 20 arrest by sheriff’s investigators on two counts of first-degree rape. The muscular, 200-pound trainer is alleged to have raped the girl twice in once night in October 2010, choking her and pushing her onto a bed.

Hossu’s attorney, Robert Altchiler, maintains the victim, now 15, fabricated the allegations to get back at Hossu, who once dated the girl’s mother and had the woman arrested one month before her overdose death.

The case has caused controversy for Levy, a Southeast resident and son of TV’s Judge Judy Sheindlin, and further enflamed tensions with Sheriff Donald B. Smith, whose office investigated the allegations and formally charged Hossu.

Smith has charged that Levy tried to use his office to influence the investigation while Levy has accused Smith of targeting him. Levy said Smith knew that Hossu was not living at the district attorney’s Southeast home when the sheriff issued a press release that listed Hossu as living there.

However, Hossu’s driver’s license listed Levy’s home address and he gave Levy’s address in court when he was arraigned on the charges. Levy said and others have confirmed that Hossu was living in a commercial building in a complex off Route 22 in Southeast at the time of his arrest.

Levy and Smith have clashed over philosophical issues over the past several months. Smith, 65, and Levy, 44, are Republicans.

Levy has not fully explained his relationship with Hossu, who he has called a family friend, nor explained how Hossu came to live with his wife and family in their million-dollar home. Levy said he recused himself and his office from the case once he realized Hossu was a subject of the allegations, and that he and his family are cooperating with the probe.

Smith has denied targeting Levy, saying his office made the arrest after only conferring with the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office and Child Protective Services.

http://www.lohud.com/article/2013050...outheast-Court

An Illegal Alien not only working for but living with a Republican District Attorney?!?!?
This IA even had a drivers license. Jeez the state of NY is so screwed up.

Posted by: Michelle Carter Posted date: October 16, 2013
Hudson Valley Reporter



CARMEL, N.Y. – A state Supreme Court justice on Tuesday reduced two of four first-degree rape charges against Alexandru Hossu, the onetime personal trainer of Putnam County District Attorney Adam Levy. Hossu is accused of raping his ex-girlfriend’s then-13-year-old daughter in October 2010.

Justice Lester Adler reduced two of the four rape charges to second-degree statutory rape, ruling that first-degree rape on those counts would have applied only if the girl were 12 or younger. The two remaining first-degree rape charges were left intact, as was a fifth misdemeanor charge of endangering the welfare of a minor. All the rape charges are felonies.

Hossu was indicted in June of this year after the girl disclosed the alleged attack to a school counselor in March. Hossu allegedly entered the girl’s bedroom in October 2010 and “did engage in sexual intercourse by forcible compulsion,” according to the indictment.

The case is being prosecuted by a special prosecutor from the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office and is being heard by Adler, who normally sits in White Plains, after Levy recused himself and his office because of his association with Hossu. At the time of Hossu’s arrest, Putnam County Sheriff Donald Smith inaccurately identified Hossu as Levy’s “live-in” personal trainer and repeatedly accused Levy of interfering in the investigation.

Levy has described Hossu as a close family friend who is currently romantically involved with the Levy family’s nanny. In a $5 million defamation suit filed against Smith in August, Levy said that within minutes of learning Hossu was under investigation, he recused his entire office and instructed his staff to contact Westchester prosecutors, which they did.

Hossu, an illegal immigrant, was arrested in March at Brewster’s Clocktower Commons, where he was living in a commercial space. He was accused of twice raping the girl on Oct. 24, 2010, between 7:30 and 10:30 p.m, attacks which Smith described as “vicious” and “violent.” Initially, it was thought that the girl was 12 at the time, but the grand jury heard evidence establishing that she was 13. It’s unclear why Hossu was initially indicted for the elevated charge.

The girl’s mother, Hossu’s ex-girlfriend, has since died. Hossu’s attorney Robert Altchiler has contended that the girl’s accusations were revenge for Hossu’s having had her mother arrested.

Shortly after the indictment, Altchiler filed motions to have the case dismissed. He alleged gross negligence by the Sheriff’s Department for misstating the victim’s age and Hossu’s address in an attempt to contaminate the jury pool. He also alleged prosecutorial misconduct, saying Hossu was unfairly forced to testify to a grand jury about his whereabouts for the entire month of October 2010, when Hossu was prepared to testify only about Oct. 24. Altchiler said at the time that the date change was because the prosecution was in a panic after Hossu told the grand jury that his cell phone pinged off a tower in West Nyack on the night in question.

Altchiler argued that the integrity of the grand jury was compromised because evidence that could exonerate Hossu wasn’t presented, the grand jury was not aware of Hossu’s requests to call certain witnesses, and the prosecutor’s “manipulation” of the time period alleged in the indictment was “manifestly prejudicial.” He also argued that a significant conflict of interest “has permeated the investigation and prosecution.”

In his ruling Adler cited precedent that in grand jury proceedings,”the People maintain broad discretion in presenting their case to the Grand Jury and need not seek evidence favorable to the defendant or present all of their evidence tending exculpate the accused,” even if it would “undeniably allow the Grand Jury to make a more informed determination.” Rather, Adler said, it was incumbent upon Hossu, in testifying on his own behalf, to testify about such exculpatory evidence.

Adler wrote that the allegedly exculpatory evidence was not “of such quality as to create the potential to eliminate a needless or unfounded prosecution,” but rather speaks to the girl’s credibility and is more appropriately presented at trial.

Further, Adler ruled that Hossu’s statement about his cell phone placing him in West Nyack later that evening was not exonerating evidence, because “the (girl) did not testify that defendant remained at the residence after the alleged assault.”

As for the argument that the investigation was biased and the jury pool tainted by publicity after Hossu’s arrest, Adler wrote, “A review of the minutes further establishes the Grand Jury was properly instructed. … The Grand Jury was, on numerous occasions, given the appropriate admonitions regarding media attention.”

“In conclusion, there is absolutely no indication in the record thus far to indicate any prosecutorial wrongdoing, fraudulent conduct, or any other errors that potentially prejudiced the ultimate decision reached by the Grand Jury that would warrant a dismissal of the indictment,” Adler wrote.

Altchiler also submitted motions requesting access to statements made by the girl and records of her medical examinations. Adler essentially ruled that the prosecution has provided all the evidence he is entitled to.

In court Tuesday, Westchester Assistant District Attorney Fred Green said it appeared some of the “records” the defense was requesting were in fact oral conversations for which no transcripts or recordings exist.

Hossu remains jailed because he hasn’t posted bail. All parties are expected back in court Monday. Altchiler has asked to be removed as Hossu’s attorney, and Adler hopes to decide the issue Monday.

http://hudsonvalleyreporter.com/putn...-rape-charges/