Little League stalker gets 60 days in jail

East Meadow resident Janet Chiauzzi was sentenced to 60 days in jail and five years’ probation on May 15, two months after she pleaded guilty to sending threatening letters to East Meadow Little League coach John DeMasi and his family and stalking them after Chiauzzi’s son did not earn a place on the league’s travel team.

Nassau County police said that Chiauzzi, 45, also sent letters to Little League officials and McVey Elementary School Principal Kerry Dunne, accusing DeMasi of child abuse. Child Protective Services investigated the allegations and deemed them unfounded.

According to DeMasi’s wife, Linda, the first threatening letter was sent to their son, Dominick, who was then 10, in July 2010. It read, “Accidents do happen and I’m sure you don’t want to see [your family] get hurt in any way . . . [Your father] will meet harm and the outcome will not be good for you.”

“How could you possibly write that to a child?” Linda said, adding that the letters sent to her husband were worse.

While the police were investigating the source of the anonymous letters, the couple did not allow their children to play outside, take part in after-school activities or attend birthday parties for fear that others would be at risk. They feared for their safety and altered their lives to protect themselves.

“It was a very difficult time,” Linda said. “A long period of manipulation, lies, deceit. This person was our friend.”

The police notified the DeMasis that Chiauzzi — whom the family never suspected — was the one sending the letters just days before her arrest last June. They later learned that the Chiauzzi family, who heckled their son at Little League games, kept statistics on Dominick dating back to when he was 8. “She sought us out, befriended us, befriended our children and weaseled her way into our lives,” said Linda.