Former trooper accused of staging his own shooting on Southern State Parkway pleads guilty
MINEOLA, Long Island (WABC) -- Former New York State Trooper Thomas Mascia was back in court Wednesday, where he pleaded guilty.
Thomas Mascia, 27, is charged with shooting himself and then claiming he was shot on the Southern State Parkway last October.
On Wednesday, he accepted a plea deal and pleaded guilty to tampering with physical evidence, falsely reporting an incident, and official misconduct.
He is expected to serve six months and pay approximately $289,000 in fines. He will be officially sentenced on Aug. 20.
(Video of previous coverage in media player above.)
The plea deal was set to happen two weeks ago, but court was adjourned.
Mascia allegedly made up the story that he was shot in the leg by a black or Hispanic man driving a Dodge Charger. It led to the road shutting down, prompted a massive search, and Mascia got a hero's walkout when he left the hospital days later.
But his story quickly unraveled, and it was revealed that Mascia had shot himself at a nearby park to garner sympathy and attention.
"Thomas Mascia's pathetic stunt put the public on edge and sent law enforcement in the tri-state area reeling, looking for a dangerous assailant who supposedly opened fire at an officer on a busy highway. The reality, however, was that the entire incident was the work of Mascia alone and the phantom motorist just another lie he told to cover his tracks," Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said. "Mascia's self-motivated ego boost cost several departments time and resources, and put communities and law enforcement officers in fear for no reason. Now, he will face the consequences for his fabrications and for tarnishing the oath he took to serve and protect New Yorkers."
Two weeks ago, at his court appearance, he wore green along with his parents to promote mental health - it was ironically Mascia's answer in court that he was not in good mental health, which gave the judge reason to pause.
The former trooper's parents also accepted plea deals after authorities found an illegal firearm in their bedroom.
Thomas A. Mascia, the former trooper's father, pleaded guilty to one count of criminal possession of a firearm. He is expected to be sentenced to five years' probation when he is due back in court on Aug. 20.
Dorothy Mascia, the former trooper's mother, pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a weapon. She is expected to be sentenced to a conditional discharge, also on Aug. 20.
All along, Mascia's defense has argued he has mental health problems and that is what caused him to falsely claim he was shot in the first place. As a condition of his probation, he will have to undergo mental health treatment.
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