Maximum sentence for drag racer Hart receives 5-15 for fatal Lawson Blvd. accident

      Hart, 28, of Malverne, was given the maximum sentence on Thursday, August 1, despite over a hundred letters addressed to Judge Donald DeRiggi and the jury, written on his behalf.
      The incident occurred on the afternoon of June 24, 2001. Nassau County prosecutors say Hart spotted Michael Vasapolli, 30, of North Woodmere, on Lawson Boulevard driving his 2000 Lamborghini. Hart was traveling in his 1990 Corvette and caught up to Vasapolli and challenged him to a race.
      "This was just a battle of two big egos," said prosecutor Frank Shroeder.
      The two men took off, reaching speeds of over 80 miles per hour, swerving in and out of lanes on a busy Lawson Boulevard, just after 3:30 p.m. Hart had pulled ahead when Vasapolli crossed the double yellow line on the opposite side of the street to pull ahead. At the same time Glenn Jacofsky, 43, of Oceanside was traveling with his wife Amy, on the opposite side of Lawson. Vasapolli hit Jacofsky's Volvo head-on, ending Jacofsky's life as well as his own.
      Throughout the case, prosecutors charged that Hart played a role in the death of both Jacofsky and Vasapolli. Hart claimed he was coaxed into drag racing, and that he received the challenge. "Every time I close my eyes, I am haunted by the image of two cars colliding in front of me. Those images will be with me the rest of my life," Hart said before his sentencing. "Know that every night since June, 24, 2001, my family and I have prayed for all who have been in pain."
      "No matter what happened, my husband and the father of my children won't be coming back," said Amy Jacofsky. She also stated that Hart deserved the time he received. "If he wasn't there that day, if they did not drag race, this would have never happened and my husband would be alive today."
      "The sentence did not really offer me much comfort," Jacofsky added. "[Hart] apologized to his own family, but never expressed any sorrow for what happened to my husband."
      "Althought Hart might be a decent person, on this day he made a poor decision," Shroeder said. "He claimed in his defense that he didn't hit anyone, but he drove 80 miles per hour over the double yellow line, opposing traffic just to catch up to the Lamborghini, so that they could race."
      Hart's lawyer, Edward Jenks, was disappointed with both the verdict and the sentencing. He claimed during the trial that the defendant had no prior criminal convictions. Prosecutors said Hart had several outstanding speeding tickets. Jenks and Hart's family said they will appeal the decision.

Brian McLaughlin contributed to this story