Cops: Sex offender caught in storage unit again

A sex offender has been caught for the fourth time living in a storage unit and violating the law by failing to register his change of address from the Riverside Social Services trailer behind the county jail, Southampton police said Friday.

Anthony Purificato, 45, was arrested Aug. 4 at Mr. D's storage facility in Holbrook, where he had help from his family in paying the self-storage unit rental fees and taking care of daily needs, said Det. Sgt. Lisa Costa.

"He alluded to the fact that the electricity was free and he had a fan to keep him cool," Costa said.

Purificato was arraigned Sept. 5 on a charge of failing to register and has been held in jail without bail, police said.

He was found living in storage units and convicted of the same offense in 2009, 2010 and last year, police said. Two years ago, he decked out an Islandia storage unit with a bed, a television and DVD player and was paying $230 a month when police arrested him there in November 2010, U.S. marshals said.

Under state law, sex offenders must update any changes in their addresses, social media accounts and other information in the sex offender registry. Purificato was supposed to update his address within 10 days of moving.

But he left the Social Services trailer for homeless sex offenders about six months ago, police said.

Southampton detectives tracked down Purificato with the help of the U.S. Marshal's New York regional fugitive task force and sex offenders investigation branch and the Suffolk County police special victims unit.

U.S. marshals also tracked down another sex offender, Daniel Saggese, 44, across the country to Washington state after he left the Social Services trailer in Riverhead and failed to report his new address, Southampton police said.

Police in the city of Port Angeles found Saggese in a local coffee house, and when they tried to arrest him he fought with officers and ran, Southampton police said. A stun gun was used on him several times and, during the arrest, one Port Angeles officer was hurt, Southampton police said.

Saggese, who was wanted for absconding parole, also faces Port Angeles charges of resisting arrest and federal charges under the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act for crossing state lines as a sex offender and failing to register his address, Southampton police said.

Southampton Town has 84 registered sex offenders and most of the homeless ones are housed in two trailers, one in Riverside and the other in Westhampton.

Saggese is considered a Level 3 offender, the highest risk of recidivism, while Purificato is a Level 2 offender, police said.