Jurors Said Robert Besedin Was Subjected to Excessive Force, Battery, Malicious Prosecution and Abuse of Process
A federal jury awarded $2.36 million to a 79-year-old Baldwin resident and Air Force veteran who was physically abused by two Nassau County police officers on February 7, 2017 at his home.
On February 7, 2017 at approximately 7:10 p.m., Robert Besedin was peacefully and lawfully standing on the porch of his Baldwin home speaking with officers. While they spoke, the officers then attacked Mr. Besedin, rushed him, grabbed him by his neck, hurled him down four steps and body slammed him to the ground. POLICE OFFICER STEPHEN BECKWITH AND POLICE OFFICER DOMINICK MANTOVANI then further abused Mr. Besedin and wrongfully and abusively cuffed him, and then slammed him down on his back and buttock on the concrete steps of his own home. Although Mr. Besedin complied with the officers’ request(s), the officers continued to abuse Mr. Besedin.
To add insult to the real injuries suffered, POLICE OFFICER STEPHEN BECKWITH AND POLICE OFFICER DOMINICK MANTOVANI wrote and gave false statements and testimony and subjected Mr. Besedin to a malicious abuse of the criminal process, which took nearly a year. On January 29, 2018, the felony charge of assault on a police officer and the other charges were dismissed. What is clear is that the police lied and provided false information in furtherance of an official investigation into the incident.
Mr. Besedin sustained multiple injuries including, but not limited to, being subjected to the criminal justice system, hitting his head, being knocked unconscious, traumatic brain injury, post-concussion syndrome, lacerations and cuts, injury to his left elbow and arms, injury to his wrists, injury to his shoulders, injury to his back and being manhandled during his unlawful abuse. He also suffered scarring, loss of blood, physical pain, embarrassment, mental pain and suffering, incarceration, property damage, damage to name and reputation, court fees, legal fees and costs, and medical costs/fees.
On February 7, 2018, Mr. Besedin filed a federal lawsuit against the County of Nassau, Nassau County Police Department and OFFICERS STEPHEN BECKWITH AND DOMINICK MANTOVANI.
On October 30, 2024, a jury found that OFFICER DOMINICK MANTOVANI engaged in excessive force, malicious prosecution, and abuse of process and OFFICER STEPHEN BECKWITH engaged in excessive force and malicious prosecution. They also awarded Mr. Besedin $1.6 million in punitive damages and an additional $760,000 in compensatory damages.
“This is a vindication for Mr. Besedin who did not deserve to be abused by people who should have wanted to protect him,” said Frederick K. Brewington of The Law Offices of Frederick K. Brewington. “Nassau County failed to discipline or investigate the actions of these officers and, therefore, there was no accountability for the violence that mr. Besedin was subjected to.”
For more information, call (516) 489-6959 or visit www.brewingtonlaw.com.
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About The Law Offices of Frederick K. Brewington
The Law Offices of Frederick K. Brewington is a well-respected litigation firm with an office in Hempstead, Long Island. Our focus is primarily in the area of civil rights, voting rights, employment discrimination, police misconduct, personal injury, medical malpractice, wrongful death and criminal law. However, the Law Offices of Frederick K. Brewington is a full-service law firm handling matters in numerous areas of law and providing a wide range of services from contract formation to litigation and trial practice. It is the largest African-American-owned law firm on Long Island and has been designated by the New York Law Journal as one of the top minority-owned firms in the state of New York. For more information, call (516) 489-6959 or visit www.brewingtonlaw.com.
