On a typical day, Glen Cove City Hall isn’t filled with non-residents, but that was the case on Dec 16, where echoes of applause could be heard among family and friends of police officers from Manhattan to Suffolk County. The 10 officers honored displayed exemplary heroism in the line of duty and were recognized for their heroism by U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi, who was once a Glen Cove mayor. The event was held to honor and thank enforcement officers from across his district, while acknowledging the many dangers that they face while going above and beyond to protect and serve their communities.
“There’s so many knocks that we see on police officers these days.” Suozzi said. “Our police officers put their lives on the line on a regular basis and we we’re very grateful for law enforcement officers and for everything that they do to protect us.”
Each of the 10 officer’s exceptional stories were shared, including that of Det. Eddy Linares of the Glen Cove Police Department who arrested a Texas woman for stealing over $500,000 from her cousin who resided in Glen Cove.
The theft occurred in December of 2020, when a Glen Cove man purchased a scratch off lottery game at a 7-11 in Glen Cove. The man discovered that the ticket he purchased was worth $1 million but did not have a bank account. He reached out to his cousin for help cashing the winning ticket and offered his cousin $50,000 for help in cashing the winnings. The victim’s cousin traveled from Virginia to Glen Cove and received the winning ticket. Then she proceeded to take the ticket back to Virginia to validate it.
In November 2021, the cousin traveled back to Glen Cove and explained to the victim that the ticket was only worth $20,000 after taxes and the victim was only entitled $13,000. The cousin went as far as to fabricate papers drawn up from the New York State Lottery commission indicating he was a $20,000 winner. Months later, the victim discovered an online news story in which his cousin was the recipient of a one million lottery scratch-off prize that was purchased in Glen Cove. It was reported that his cousin elected for a one-time lump payment of $537,440 after taxes.
In the summer of 2021, the victim contacted Linares about the stolen lottery ticket and he began investigating the crime with the assistance of the Nassau County District Attorney’s office. As the investigation proceeded, Linares discovered that a large portion of the stolen money was placed in a bank in Virginia. To hide the stolen money, the defendant transferred the money from Virginia to a bank in Texas and then to a bank in Oklahoma where she placed the money under her daughter’s name.
The defendant was later extradited back to New York where Linares arrested her on Nov. 8, 2021. Since the arrest, the defendants bank accounts were frozen and those stolen funds were returned to the victim via a check from the Nassau District Attorney’s office.
While acknowledging the difficulties officers face in the line of duty and the personal sacrifices they make for their communities, Mayor Pamela Panzenbeck stressed that the city will always support its officers.
“You’re not out here for an award,” she said. “You’re just here to do the right thing.”
Suozzi noted that even though the case seemed far-fetched to others, Linares took the time to dig for information that literally changed somebody’s life. Even though the case is closed, Linares continues to help the victim and has even accompanied the victim to the bank multiple times to assure that checks are installed and funds are properly and safely deposited
“The motivation and desire to do the right thing exemplify why he’s deserving the Hometown Heroes Award,” Suozzi said..
Linares was raised in the city and graduated from Glen Cove High School in 1997. The 45-year-old said he knew he always wanted to be a cop and studied criminal justice while attending Delaware State University. After working for the NYPD for six years, Linares returned to his hometown in 2012 as an officer. But he isn’t just an officer in Glen Cove, he’s also a volunteer for many youth-oriented programs. Linares volunteers his time with the SAFE initiative to educate parents on the dangers of drug use, especially to families who predominately speak Spanish. He also coaches girls’ softball at the city’s Boys and Girls Club.
“Glen Cove is a great community,” Linares said. “It’s always been good to me. It’s always been a very supportive environment.”
