Man who ‘terrorized’ Bellmore sentenced to 45 years

Leonidas Cotsifas was sentenced on Tuesday to 45 years in prison for a series of crimes he committed in Bellmore in October 2009. His charges included assault and burglary.

The Bethpage resident’s crime spree ended with the brutal beating of a 71-year-old man with a paving stone in his own home. The man was injured so severely that he was kept in the hospital for three months.

Cotsifas began his spree at about 10:30 a.m. on Oct. 1 by threatening an 18-year-old woman in her home with a crowbar and robbing her of her laptop computer. He then ran from the young woman’s Centre Avenue home across Sunrise Highway to the nearby Valero gas station, where authorities say he unsuccessfully attempted to carjack a Chevy Trailblazer. The SUV’s driver was pumping gasoline while her 12-year-old son was sitting in the front passenger seat at the time. Unsuccessful in his attempt to steal the SUV, Cotsifas ran south on Centre Avenue, then west onto Nassau Street.

Once on Nassau Street, Cotsifas broke into the basement of a home where he attacked the 71-year-old man. He beat the man after binding his legs. Cotsifas then attempted to change his appearance by shaving his head and putting on the victim’s clothes. He left the apartment with gold jewelry and cash valued at more than $20,000.

The victim is reported to have suffered traumatic brain injury and a broken jaw and nose. He has had to undergo therapy to learn how to walk and speak again. He requires 24-hour nurse care.

“This violent defendant terrorized an entire community and left innocent people traumatized and permanently injured,” Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice said. “Mr. Cotsifas will spend the next 45 years in a prison cell where he belongs, and I hope that today’s sentence will help his victims move on from this horrific event.”

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