Huntington Land Scammer DeRosa Arrested

By Leader Staff

Gregory DeRosa, the Huntington based land developer accused in over a dozen court cases with running "a $50-million land Ponzi scheme" has been arrested by the Suffolk County District Attorney on check fraud charges, and is scheduled to be arraigned next week.

DeRosa is at the center of a web of Huntington politicians, including Water Commissioner Paul Tonna, who is DeRosa's registered Lobbyist and PR front man; Huntington Councilman Sal Ferro, whom the Leader identified as having a secret $240,000 "consult" arrangement with DeRosa; and Supervisor Ed Smyth, who delivered a $1.4 million rezoning windfall to DeRosa.

The pending Melville mass-apartment development - pushed through late last year by Smyth and Ferro - was schemed in part by DeRosa, who met repeatedly with Smyth and Ferro to plot the mass apartment re-zone.

DeRosa was arrested by Suffolk Police on March 25th on charges of of check fraud. He is scheduled to be arraigned on April 11th in First District Court.

These charges are expected to be only "the tip of the iceberg" as the FBI and US Department of Justice have been all over Huntington investigating DeRosa's multiple frauds, and the local politicians whom DeRosa has described as being "in my pocket."