Crime & Safety

GPD Names Officer of the Month

Mastronardi recognized for catching car scam suspects who preyed on town's elderly.

Officer Michael Mastronardi has been named the Greenwich Police Department’ officer of the month.

Mastronardi is the department’s Officer of the Month for November for the arrests of suspects believed to be involved in a series of car repair scams. In October and November, police received several complaints about scam artists preying upon elderly residents. The scammers would contact an elderly person and then convince the victim a road-side motor vehicle repair was necessary. “The scam artists using intimidation and confusion would then defraud the elderly from an exorbitant amount of money for the nonexistent repairs,” police said.

Police also received several more similar complaints from older residents who did not fall for the scam.

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On Nov. 17, Mastronardi while investigating a minor disturbance he recognized the suspects from an Informational Police Bulletin.  He arrested three suspects. This arrest would lead to further warrant arrests of the suspects on four other criminal scams, according to police. All of the suspects have criminal records of committing similar crimes. Police said that since the arrests, there have not been any more auto scams reported.

Capt. James Heavey said, “Who the victim is, is never a consideration to the effort that we put forth in investigating crimes within our jurisdiction. However, when the perpetrators chose to select as victims those of our most vulnerable population (the elderly, the infirmed, and the innocent) there is a certain sublime satisfaction when the case is solved and the perpetrators brought to justice.”

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