New York officer pleads guilty to more theft charges on Long Island

By Marcus E. Howard

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A former Suffolk County, New York, police officer convicted of stealing from Hispanic motorists pleaded guilty to more theft charges on Friday after other victims stepped forward, the district attorney's office said.

Scott Greene, a 52-year-old former sergeant and a 25-year veteran for the force, pleaded guilty to three counts of grand larceny and one count of petit larceny before state Supreme Court Justice Fernando Camacho on Long Island.

"Today marked a moment Scott Greene decided to put this case behind him and focus on what's important and that is his family and children," said defense attorney Scott Gross.

Greene's sentencing on the new charges is scheduled for May 3. A spokesman for District Attorney Thomas Spota said the court would likely allow the former officer to serve any additional sentence concurrently with the one to three years he was given after his previous conviction on larceny and official misconduct charges.

In January, Greene was convicted of stealing money from two Hispanic motorists after a sting operation. In January 2014, surveillance camera footage caught him taking $100 from an undercover Hispanic officer.

A jury decided to acquit Greene of hate crime charges. Greene has been held in county jail since the conviction.

Suffolk County's police department's practices have been investigated by federal authorities. In February, former Chief James Burke pleaded guilty to federal charges related to a beating case that was unrelated to the charges against Greene.

(Editing by Alistair Bell)