Longtime friend defended Mark Bonilla

When North Woodmere resident Adrian DiLuzio, a Mineola-based attorney, heard that Hempstead Town Clerk Mark Bonilla was arrested last September after complaints of sexual harassment were made to the town’s Human Resources Department, he called Bonilla to say he was available if he wanted to talk.

“I assumed he already had counsel but I wanted to tell him I was sorry to hear about what happened,” DiLuzio said. “He then called me back and asked if I’d represent him.”

The relationship began when Bonilla, a law school student, was paired with DiLuzio, in a mentoring program. “I took him to court with me on a regular basis so he could learn about the process,” DiLuzio said. “He expressed interest in criminal law so I gave him the inside skinny about what goes on. Then over time we stayed friends and we’d see him when I took my children to get their pictures taken as part of the town’s Child Safety program.”

On July 25, at First District Court in Hempstead, Bonilla was found not guilty of official misconduct, petit larceny and coercion. He was, however, found guilty of one count of official misconduct stemming from sexual harassment allegations that were investigated by town officials last year. “It was very painful because I know him and have a certain regard for him,” DiLuzio said of Bonilla.

DiLuzio, who grew up in South Philadelphia, received a bachelors in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania. He decided to go to the university’s School of Law after a conversation with his parents. “My mother said to me one night at the dinner table, ‘the way you and your father argue, you should become a lawyer,’” he said. “What wound up happening is I was accepted into Brown University for a Ph.D. in sociology but I also got into the University of Pennsylvania Law School and they offered me more money; Brown couldn’t offer me money that year so I guess I just drifted that way.”

He has also represented Joel Steinberg, who was accused of murder and convicted of manslaughter in November 1987 for the death of a six-year-old girl, whom his live-in partner illegally adopted. “It was the first case that was covered with cameras in the courtroom,” DiLuzio said. “Courtroom television was created through this case.”

Questioning, cross-examining and fact finding are the most enjoyable parts of the being a lawyer, DiLuzio said. “I enjoy being honest with people, but it’s not a good recipe for a businessman,” he said. “I’ve told people their son is in trouble based upon the case and because I tell the truth, it’s often difficult for me to get as much money as I’m entitled to and makes it difficult for people to hire me.”

Attorney Anthony Michael Sabino is a personal friend and colleague of DiLuzio’s for nearly 30 years. “He’s unbelievably intelligent and a highly competent attorney, but far more than that he’s the most compassionate person I’ve ever known,” Sabino said.

Michael Soshnick, a Mineola-based lawyer, first met DiLuzio 35 years ago at the Nassau County District Attorney’s office, when DiLuzio became the assistant district attorney for Nassau County. “He’s a top tier attorney and is first rate in regards to his legal skills,” Soshnick said of DiLuzio. “He’s a wonderful human being and is outstanding in every sphere of his life.”