New York Post

It takes a subpoena

Feds hit LI village in ‘Jona’ probe

- By ALEX TAYLOR and BRUCE GOLDING

The feds slapped a Long Island village with a subpoena tied to its $245,000-a-year police commission­er, who has been named an unindicted co-conspirato­r in a corruption case involving a hooker-fueled junket to Miami.

The revelation by Floral Park’s village attorney came during a public meeting Tuesday night at which several outraged residents called for the suspension of top cop Stephen McAllister.

“Our police commission­er is now named by authoritie­s as a member of a conspiracy in a federal trial,” said Nadia Holubnyczy­j-Ortiz, president of the Hillcrest Civic Associatio­n.

“This is not the face of ethical leadership that the village of Floral Park should accept. No leader of our village administra­tion should have such an accusation levied upon them and remain in their position.”

Resident John Miccio said keeping McAllister on the job “without resolving some of these allegation­s is insanity, in my opinion.”

Miccio, 38, also drew applause at the meeting when he said the situation was “dragging our town’s name in the mud.”

Village Attorney John Ryan said the subpoena involving McAllister was one of two served on Floral Park by the Manhattan US Attorney’s Office.

“And I was told — and I told the board — that we cannot speak on the subject,” he said.

Six residents spoke out about McAllister, with only two expressing support for the embattled top cop, who has been embroiled in controvers­y since former Mayor de Blasio donor Jona Rechnitz testified last year that McAllister was among several cops Rechnitz treated to an allexpense­s-paid trip to Miami that included an evening of “entertainm­ent” by hookers.

McAllister has denied Rechnitz’s claims, and was cleared of wrongdoing following an internal investigat­ion by Ryan.

“We fought in this country for our due-process rights. Give him his due-process rights,” resident Matthew Sexton said of McAllister.

Sexton, 40, also defended McAllister’s hefty salary for running Floral Park’s 35-member police force, a salary some $19,000 more than NYPD Commission­er James O’Neill receives for overseeing the city’s 36,000 cops.

“You want to complain about how much he got paid, complain to these guys,” Sexton said, pointing at village-board members.

“He just accepted the raise. Otherwise he’s done nothing but bust his ass and keep Floral Park safe.”

Mayor Dominick Longobardi said officials were aware of the allegation­s raised by Manhattan federal prosecutor­s, who have accused McAllister of interferin­g in three arrests of an “associate” of former de Blasio donor Jeremy Reichberg, from whom McAllister allegedly accepted gifts including “discounted or free jewelry.”

“They are conducting the investigat­ion they’re conducting. We are in the same process as well,” Longobardi said.

“This is a personnel matter. We can’t discuss personnel matters.”

McAllister, who attended the meeting, said only that “I’ll just let it play out. You guys have fun in the press.”

A spokesman for interim Manhattan US Attorney Geoffrey Berman declined to comment.

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