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Husband and wife Fabio and Judith Monasterolo, both of Holbrook, pleaded guilty to criminal mischief in Suffolk County Court on Monday, Oct. 16, for illegally dumping cinder blocks and concrete near tidal wetlands in Brookhaven.
According to prosecutors, Mr. and Mrs. Monasterolo, ages 51 and 55, respectively, were photographed dumping items from their pickup truck into the wetlands near Jefferson Drive and Grove Road in Mastic Beach in April 2023.
The intersection and surrounding areas are owned by the Town of Brookhaven and border a tidal wetland.
When Judith Monasterolo spotted a witness photographing them, she gave them two middle fingers as her husband drove away from the scene.
The witness passed the photos along to Brookhaven town officials, who contacted the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. The couple was arrested a week later.
“These defendants would have escaped responsibility for dumping in our wetlands had it not been for a concerned citizen who reported them to the Town of Brookhaven after capturing them on camera during their illegal acts,” said Suffolk County DA Raymond Tierney.
“Thanks to our partnership with the Town through our Quality-of-Life Town Coalition initiative, this couple is now an example of what will happen to those who think they can turn Suffolk County’s vibrant ecosystem into their personal junkyard.”
In court Monday, they each pleaded guilty to one count of fourth-degree criminal mischief, a misdemeanor.
As a condition of their plea agreements, prosecutors mandated that the Monasterolos pay the Town of Brookhaven $2,602.75 in restitution for the initial cleanup cost.
They must also fully finance a day-long cleanup of other pollution in the tidal wetlands by a Town of Brookhaven work crew, personally plant over 50 trees, and write an apology letter to the citizen who photographed them.
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