Yesterday, a jury found a 19-year-old guilty of manslaughter as a hate crime for the 2008 stabbing death of an Ecuadorian immigrant. Jeffrey Conroy, who was acquitted of second-degree murder, will face a minimum of eight years in prison and a maximum of 25 years for killing Marcelo Lucero, during what Conroy's friends described as "beaner hopping," when they would target Hispanics for beatings and other attacks. Jury members said that they didn't believe Conroy's claim that another teen killed Lucero. Juror Linda Giani said, "It was extremely emotional. You have a young boy's life in your hands. You also have the family that's grieving for the loss of a son." more ›

A Long Island jury found Jeffrey Conroy, 19, guilty of first-degree manslaughter as a hate crime for the 2008 stabbing of Ecuadorian immigrant Marcelo Lucero. Conroy and his friend were allegedly "beaner hopping" and had been on a weeklong hate crime spree. While he was found not guilty of murder as a hate crime, Conroy, who claimed one of his friends actually killed Lucero, was found guilty of first-degree gang assault. According to Newsday (subscription required), he faces a "maximum of 25 years and a minimum of 8 years." Six of Conroy's co-defendants are still awaiting trial; four of them who testified against him pleaded guilty to gang assault while the other two pleaded not guilty. more ›

Police are investigating whether a robbery in the town of Patchogue over the weekend was another instance of a hate crime in the town where an Ecuadorian immigrant was allegedly murdered by a group of teenagers last November. The Hispanic man was walking on a street in the Long Island town just before midnight on Friday night when he was approached by three young white men. As they knocked him to the ground while stealing cash and other items, police say that "disparaging remarks were made about the victim's ancestry." Patchogue Mayor Paul Pontieri told reporters, "It's distressing that it happened at all. Who knows why and who knows the circumstances? I don't know yet." After a group of teens were charged in the beating death of Ecuadorian immigrant Marcelo Lucero (pictured), the Justice Department launched an investigation into accusations that Hispanic immigrants were being terrorized in the town for months. Some said that the victims' pleas had originally fallen on deaf ears with Suffolk County police. more ›

Yesterday, a federal court documents were unsealed and revealed that a Long Island resident had transformed from an altar boy and Boy Scout to Al Qaeda trainee. Bryant Neal Vinas, who pleaded guilty to trying to "conspiring to murder United States nationals"—by way of a rocket attack at an army base—"providing material support to Al Qaeda and receiving military training from the group," admitted to discussing a plan to bomb a Long Island Rail Road train at Penn Station and a subway—hence the terrorist threat last November. more ›

Yesterday, the Suffolk County DA's office said that a group of teens, already charged with fatally beating a Hispanic man to death last November, had been on a 13-month-long "hate spree," targeting and terrorizing Latinos. DA Thomas Spota said, "All of the defendants participated in what we consider to be a violent and racially driven pastime" and Newsday detailed some of the crimes:

Last July, at least two of the teens beat a Hispanic man unconscious, stealing his money and shoes. more ›

Another attack this week against two Hispanic man in the town of Patchogue in Suffolk County has been chalked up to local teens--possibly ones connected to "The Caucasian Crew," the gang arrested in conjunction with the murder of Ecuadorian Marcelo Lucero. Luis Pichu and Carlos Banegas (a friend of Lucero's from Ecuador) were surrounded by a group of teens Tuesday night, some with skinhead haircuts, who yelled that they wanted "to kill everybody, all Spanish people." And yet another man has come forward and accused two of the members of the group that was arrested in Lucero's attack and murder as being the assailants when he was allegedly beaten badly while riding home on a bicycle last fall. "These people are still out there - they're still hunting," Marcelo's brother Joselo Lucero told the Post. more ›

Before the stabbing attack that would claim their final victim, 37-year-old Ecuadorian immigrant Marcelo Lucero, the Long Island gang known as "The Caucasian Crew" had been out on "beaner jumping" missions for almost a week leading up to it. The Patchogue attacks included knocking one man unconscious after sucker punching him in the mouth and shooting another with a BB gun. Police believe that there are more victims as well who have not come forward out of fears for their safety. Earlier this week, charges against the Caucasian Crew ringleader, Jeffrey Conroy, who is accused of stabbing Lucero were upped from manslaughter to murder. more ›

After an Ecuadorean immigrant was stabbed to death, apparently by a group of teens looking to "f--- up" Hispanics, in Patchogue, Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy denounced the crime but later claimed it was a "one-day story," suggesting it was getting media attention because of his immigration policies. more ›

This morning, seven teenagers will be arraigned for the fatal stabbing of a Hispanic man on Saturday night. Suffolk police believe it is a hate crime because the teens--ages 16 and 17--"told detectives that they were looking to beat someone of Latino heritage," according to Detective Lt. Jack Fitzpatrick. The 37-year-old victim Marcello Lucero and another man, who were headed to Elder Fernandez's house, were allegedly attacked by the teens at Railroad Avenue and Sephton Street in Patchogue. The second man fled and called the police; Lucero was found bleeding by Fernandez, who told Newsday, "I saw my friend's last minute. It was miserable." Six of the teens are white and the seventh is black. more ›

Patchogue's annual holiday-timed parade will not have fireworks this year after famous fireworks company Grucci (which does the Macy's July 4th show) has pulled out, upset that the parade lost "Christmas" from its name. Newsday reports that last year's Patchogue Christmas Boat Parade (named so at the request of Grucci, which donated $5000) is now the Patchogue Holiday Boat Parade, after complaints that the parade wasn't being inclusive enough. Grucci VP Philip Butler took offense, saying, "They are using all the themes of Christmas and plagiarizing all those themes and not using the name." Yes, like a Santa on a yacht! The Patchogue mayor isn't too upset, "When I think about fireworks, I don't think about Christmas anyway - I think about the Fourth of July." more ›

Suffolk County police say that a man was drunk driving a stolen SUV in Patchogue when he crashed the vehicle into a Patchogue home last night. Well, actually Frank Dawson wasn't in the car; Newsday reports that he "leaped from the sport utility vehicle on Clark Street -- as the big GMC Yukon was still moving -- and ran off... the truck continued to roll until it hit the home, going into the living room and hitting a couch where a resident had been sitting moments earlier." The home's owner Christopher Carapezza said he was watching the Yankees game, but he want to see his wife upstairs after she called for him. Dawson charged with reckless endangerment and DWI. more ›