Joseph Mondello, son of Nassau GOP chairman, accused in Virginia of taking hostage
![Joseph Nestor Mondello, the son of Nassau Republican Party chairman...](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.newsday.com%2Fimage-service%2Fversion%2Fc%3AZGJmYWYxOTktODk3OS00%3AOTktODk3OS00MzVmMzYw%2Fimgo0f0_web-cropped.jpg%3Ff%3DLandscape%2B16%253A9%26w%3D770%26q%3D1&w=1920&q=80)
Joseph Nestor Mondello, the son of Nassau Republican Party chairman Joseph Mondello, was arrested Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2015, and charged with abduction by force or intimidation and use of a firearm in a felony for holding a computer technician hostage in his home, police said. Credit: Arlington County police
Joseph Nestor Mondello, the son of Nassau Republican Party chairman Joseph Mondello, was arrested Tuesday in Arlington County, Virginia, for allegedly holding hostage, and threatening to kill, a technician who was repairing his computer.
Arlington County police officials said Mondello, 50, a lobbyist, was arrested at his home after the technician reported the incident he said occurred at Mondello’s home about 11 a.m.
Mondello “refused to let a computer technician leave the residence until his computer was fixed,” according to a police report, and “allegedly had a gun in his possession and threatened to kill the victim.”
Mondello, a principal at the Mondello Group, a lobbying firm in Washington, D.C., was charged with abduction by force or intimidation and use of a firearm in a felony, according to Arlington County police.
Mondello was arraigned on Tuesday, but because of holidays and early court closures his plea and bail information has not been updated in court records, said police spokeswoman Ashley Savage. Mondello is due in court March 22.
Reached at their Arlington home, Mondello’s wife, Lisette, said the charges “were absolutely false. We believe the man was insulted and made up things. We will be exonerated.”
Lisette Mondello said that after an “exhaustive” 4 1⁄2-hour search of the home, police found no gun. She said the weapon cited by police was a toy Pirates of the Caribbean gun from Disney World.
Anthony Santino, spokesman for Nassau GOP chairman Joseph Mondello, said “this is a private family matter in which chairman Mondello has no involvement whatsoever. Accordingly he has no comment.”
Mondello once served as counsel to the U.S. Senate Banking Committee, according to news reports.
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