SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY – A former elementary school teacher in the Bay Shore Union Free School District, faces charges of Sexual Conduct Against a Child in the First Degree and Sodomy in the First Degree. He is accused of abusing students under his care during his tenure at Mary G. Clarkson Elementary School and Gardiner Manor Elementary School from 1970 to 2000. He continued his employment with the district until 2003.
He was arrested and charged, but later released by a Suffolk County judge.
Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced the arrest of Thomas Bernagozzi, 76, from Babylon, on serious felony charges related to the sexual abuse of children.
District Attorney Tierney emphasized the gravity of these allegations, noting Bernagozzi’s betrayal of trust. He encouraged any abuse survivors to come forward, assuring thorough investigations and accountability.
The New York State Child Victims Act, which allows victims abused as minors to file civil actions until age 55, led to 45 lawsuits against both Bernagozzi and the Bay Shore Union Free School District. Thanks to recent changes in New York’s statute of limitations, two victims’ cases from the periods 1997-2000 and 1989-1991 were criminally prosecuted.
Bernagozzi was arrested on December 21, 2023. At his arraignment, the DA’s Office requested significant bail, but Judge Edward J. Hennessey ordered supervised release with GPS monitoring. Bernagozzi, represented by attorneys Eric Besso and Samuel Demeglio, is due back in court on December 26, 2023.