Former East Meadow civic leader surrenders to authorities

Robert Zafonte, longtime president of the East Meadow Civic Association, surrendered to authorities on Monday as scheduled at the Nassau County Courthouse in
Mineola. 

Zafonte, 65, was sentenced to six months in prison and five years’ probation for a slew of charges that stemmed from his false accusations of several community members over a span of five years. The accusations ranged from reporting parents for domestic abuse to charging a school official with stealing money from the district. Zafonte’s accusations were targeted at rivals. He pleaded guilty in October and was sentenced by County Judge Jerald Carter in December. Prosecutors had originally sought a three-to nine-year prison sentence.  

Zafonte is a former chief investigator for the Town of Hempstead attorney and a retired  New York City Housing Authority police officer. 

Zafonte was transported on Monday to the Nassau County Correctional Center in East Meadow to begin serving his six-month sentence, according to the Nassau County District Attorney’s office, which did not have a comment on the matter.