Queens, NY – A Long Island woman has been sentenced to over 20 years in prison for her role in the tragic death of NYPD Detective Anastasios Tsakos in April 2021. The detective was struck and killed while directing traffic around a previous fatal accident on the Long Island Expressway in Fresh Meadows.
The defendant, whose license was suspended, was nearly twice over the legal alcohol limit and had also consumed marijuana prior to the accident. After colliding with Detective Tsakos, she fled the scene, leaving the detective fatally injured.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz stated that the sentencing, which followed a jury trial, provides some closure and solace to Detective Tsakos’s family, including his wife and two young children who are now left without a father. The case highlights the severe consequences of impaired driving, demonstrating the danger that unlicensed, drunk, and drugged drivers pose to public safety.