LI Woman Files Federal Lawsuit After Wrongful Arrest
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A Long Island woman has filed a federal lawsuit against Nassau County after being falsely arrested for a crime she did not commit.
Angela Bianco, 48, of Syosset, was shopping in a store at the Roosevelt Field Mall at the same place and time the real suspects stole a $2,500 sapphire engagement ring.
Bianco, an investment banker, was arrested three weeks later, with police alleging she was connected to the theft, CBS2's Jennifer McLogan reported.
The lawsuit alleges the police said: "You know exactly what you did, you and your boyfriend."
Bianco was charged with grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property and identity theft and criminal impersonation.
"She was brought into the precinct, she was handcuffed against the wall. uncomfortable, despondent," Anthony Grandinette, Bianco's attorney, said.
Bianco was exonerated after surveillance video and her personal store receipts cleared her name during a police investigation, with the Nassau County District Attorney dropping all charges.
"You can clearly tell that neither of these suspects or perpetrators of the actual crime are remotely close to 48 years of age--their body types are nothing like Angela Bianco's on the date and time commission of the crime," Grandinette said.
"Anglea is probably 50 to 75 pounds heavier," Grandinette continued. "She is much broader, different height, different hair color. She wasnt with an accomplice."
Police declined to comment due to the ongoing federal lawsuit. The stolen ring has not been recovered, and no arrests have been made in connection to the incident.
Bianco's federal lawsuit seeks a jury trial and unspecified damages, claiming the fasle accusations damaged her career as an investment banker.