Former Suffolk cop Scott Greene admitted stealing from motorists, detective testifies

A Suffolk police officer arrested in a sting operation designed to catch him stealing from Latino motorists admitted almost as soon as police stopped him that he took money, a fellow sergeant testified Wednesday during a pretrial hearing.

And when Scott Greene, 51, since retired, realized he was being investigated for doing it repeatedly, he told the officers that he was "disgusted" with himself and did it because of financial and marital problems, Det. Sgt. David Tricamo testified during a hearing before state Supreme Court Justice Fernando Camacho in Central Islip.

Camacho will determine if Greene's statements and identifications of him by motorists are admissible at trial, which will begin Dec. 2.

"If my finances are a mess, would you look into it?" Greene said that night, according to Tricamo, who said he replied that he would.

"Good," Greene said, according to Tricamo. "Because the IRS is up my [expletive] and I owe them 20 grand."

The Jan. 30, 2014, arrest in Coram came after several Latino motorists described being pulled over by Greene there and in the Farmingville area and having him take money from them. More came forward with the encouragement of Latino advocates, and Greene now is charged with two indictments that include multiple counts of grand larceny as a hate crime and other offenses.

Defense attorney Scott Gross said the charges are the result of pressure by advocates.

"It's unprecedented that a civic organization is doing the job of the district attorney's office," Gross said.

One of the advocates in the case, Irma Solis, attended the hearing. "We're going to be here to make sure he receives the punishment he deserves," she said.

Before the hearing got underway, Gross said his client rejected a plea offer of 2 1/3 to 7 years in prison. Assistant District Attorney Joseph Carroll Jr. said Greene faces 11 to 32 years in prison if convicted.

Tricamo, who is assigned to the district attorney's office's governmental corruption squad, testified that he and colleagues rigged a car with audio and video recorders and had a Latino undercover detective drive it with 10 $100 bills in an envelope on the front seat. Tricamo said he could hear what happened when Greene pulled the car over on Granny Road.

"He took a bill! He took a bill," the undercover detective said after Greene walked away, Tricamo said during questioning by Carroll. He said he and his partner followed Greene to a pizzeria on Mill Road and called him over, keeping an eye on his gun.

"We didn't know how he would react to being told about this bait, this sting operation," Tricamo said. Initially, he said Greene denied taking money.

"This is a very awkward situation," Tricamo said he told Greene, and his partner told Greene about the sting and asked for the $100 bill.

"Yes, I took the money," Greene said, and slowly pulled the bill from his pocket, Tricamo said. "This was self-induced," Greene said while they drove him to their office, according to Tricamo. Greene went on to say he was under tremendous financial pressure because of his wife, Tricamo said.

"He referred to it as debt -- financial issues -- and marital, marriage problems," Tricamo said.

At the office, Tricamo said Greene put his face in his hands and said he'd probably get divorced. "He said it was a disgrace what he did to his wife and children," Tricamo said.Outside court, Gross said his client had "one of the most stellar records as a police officer that I've ever seen."

Tricamo said Greene mentioned his reputation as a good cop. "This is not me," Greene said, according to Tricamo. "This is not what I'm about. I screwed up. I screwed everything I worked for."