Raymond Roth, who faked drowning, pleads guilty to contempt

The man who faked his own drowning at Jones Beach last summer has pleaded guilty to violating a restraining order by calling his wife on her cellphone shortly after his arrest.

Raymond Roth, 48, of Long Beach, pleaded guilty to second-degree criminal contempt Tuesday in First District Court in Hempstead. Judge Helen Voutsinas sentenced him to time served.

Roth's lawyer, Brian Davis, could not be reached for comment.

Roth pleaded guilty March 21 to faking his death, telling a Nassau judge that he had suffered a mental breakdown but was "feeling much better." A Nassau judge had committed to sentencing him to 90 days in jail.

But the night of his guilty plea, police say, Roth drove up to a 38-year-old woman walking on Main Street in Freeport, identified himself as a police officer and demanded that she get in. Roth had no uniform or badge, police said, but gestured toward his waistband as though there was a gun there.

He now faces charges that include attempted kidnapping, attempted burglary and criminal impersonation, prosecutor Everett Witherell said.

If convicted of the felony charges, he faces up to 15 years in prison.

The charge Roth pleaded guilty to Tuesday involved calls he made to his estranged wife, Evana, the night after he turned himself in on the original charges of faking his death.

Roth called her several times that night, stating, "Evana, you know who this is," when she answered, authorities said.

The two have since divorced.