DECEASED 2/21/2009
Newsday/Andrew Strickler
Sal Inghilleri, 55, was convicted in 1994 for sexually abusing 9 year old Katie Beers in
1992, before family friend John Esposito kidnapped her and kept her in an underground concrete
chamber for 16 days. His attorney said that there was no reason to fear the convicted child
molester because he so dislikes prison that he would do anything to avoid being near kids.
"The last thing he wants to do is go back to jail," said defense attorney Mary Elizabeth Abbate of
Deer Park. "I think if he saw a child walking on the street, he'd turn and run the other
way." Before Inghilleri was released from prison, Suffolk County Court Judge Ralph Gazzillo
had to assign a risk level to Inghilleri under Megan's Law. The hearing to classify his risk
level as a repeat molester was delayed for two weeks. Laura Ahearn, executive director of
Parents for Megan's Law, said it is impossible to rehabilitate child sex abusers, and therefore
they all should be considered high-risk offenders when they get out of prison. She believes
Inghilleri is a threat. "I would think most child sex offenders will say they'd stay away
from children," she said. He deserves to be classified a high-risk offender not only because
of the sexual abuse he committed, but also because of the other ways he and Linda Inghilleri
exploited Beers, Ahearn said. "He and his family used her as a virtual slave," Ahearn
said. "Anything that could happen to take away her innocence happened. He does pose a
risk to the community." Inghilleri may have wanted to return to his wife when he was released
but his wife says he can forget it. "I'm definitely not taking him back," said Linda
Inghilleri. She said she is reliving the 11 year old crimes. "Katie was put in a
dungeon by John and I was put in a dungeon by Sal," she said. She had no idea back then that
her husband had committed such awful deeds, she said. Esposito is serving a 15 years to life
sentence. A hearing was set to take place for Inghilleri, but he complained of chest pains
and was taken from the Suffolk County jail to Central Suffolk Hospital in Riverhead. He was
transferred to Stony Brook University Hospital, where he was listed in serious but stable
condition. At a previous court date, Inghilleri refused to come into the courtroom from a
holding cell because he was worried the stress would cause a heart attack. Suffolk County
Judge Ralph Gazzillo, told Inghilleri's attorney that he could stay in the cell during the hearing,
but he would have to come out to hear the result. "I will give him his [risk level]
determination to his face," Gazzillo said. "He will be in this courtroom." With
Inghilleri fresh from heart surgery, he stayed in his holding cell during the hearing. He
emerged, at Gazzillo's insistence, to hear the ruling, walking with a cane. Gazzillo
classified Inghilleri as a high-risk offender. "The defendant has a history of immoral acts,
some of which were captured by law enforcement, and some of which were not," Gazzillo said.
Inghilleri's attorney plans to file an appeal. In classifying him a high-risk offender,
Gazzillo said he found Inghilleri's recent professions of remorse unconvincing. Until his
most recent parole, hearing, Inghilleri blamed any sexual contact on Beers. A hearing took
place because the district attorney's office objected to the initial assessment of the state Board
of Examiners of Sex Offenders, which said Inghilleri posed a low risk to the community. As a
high-risk offender, Inghilleri will have to report every 90 days for the rest of his life, and his
address and details of his crime will be available to the public. Beers, who has lived with
an East End foster family since her ordeal, kept her distance from the hearing. She has
declined to comment on Inghilleri's release and told the district attorney's office she did not
want to take part in the hearing.
Turns out, nobody wants sicko Inghillieri. He is stuck in prison despite his having
won release more than 18 months ago. Because Megan's Law restrictions make it nearly
impossible for the ailing man to find a new home, he remains in the Collins Correctional Facility
in Erie County. "It is difficult in general to find a suitable residence for people who
commit these types of crimes, but the Division of Parole continues to actively search for a
suitable residence," said Tom Grant, a state Division of Parole spokesman.
In July 2006, his prison term will "max" out, or be completely served, giving the state no
choice but to release him.
Inghilleri failed to disclose his new address, as required of all registered sex offenders,
and a warrant had been issued for his arrest. He had been missing since May 2007. He
was discovered in North Carolina, hiding beneath some clothes in a bedroom closet. Inghilleri
was charged with being a fugitive from justice and failing to register as a sex offender, a felony
in North Carolina. He was arraigned and ordered held on $250,000 bail. He waived
extradition to New York, where he will be charged with a misdemeanor for not notifying police about
his change in address.
On October 11, 2007, Inghilleri was held on $100,000 cash bail. He appeared in court
in Riverhead as Judge Gazzillo rejected his lawyer's request to lower his bail to $10,000.
Inghilleri never had a chance on April 7, 2008, to make it out the front door of Suffolk
County Court in Riverhead. His attorney, Thomas Kenniff of Mineola, went into the court
hearing thinking his client might be released on bail after a judge ruled last week that the
Suffolk district attorney's office could charge him with only a misdemeanor - not a felon - for
failing to register as a sex offender. But Inghilleri's troubles with the criminal justice
system escalated markedly instead as federal prosecutors charged him with violating federal law
shortly after Suffolk County Court Judge Barbara Kahn refused to reduce his $100,000 bail.
Inghilleri died in jail on February 21, 2009, apparently the victim of a heart attack.
(New York)