The Disgraceful Government of the Village of Pelham Manor - Part I

        Anger over the lawless actions by corrupt Village of Pelham Manor officials has consumed countless people since that rainy night on Boston Post Road a little over three years ago.  The cover-up, tampering with evidence, and ticket fixing points to two individuals: Village Manager John T. Pierpont and Soon-To-Be-Ex-Pelham Manor Police Chief Alfred Mosiello. ..... MORE....

        What started as an accident on the evening of November 15, 2011, quickly became a horror to the Pelham Manor community.  Respected Pelham Manor Police Officer Michael Tillistrand had been hit and almost killed during a routine traffic stop.  It was quickly determined that the driver of the vehicle that hit Officer Tillistrand was a Jillian Ruggiero, the daughter of Pelham Manor Fire Chief, Joe Ruggiero.

        As soon as the close-knit community of Pelham Manor mobilized to do what members of such groups do in times of need, a stunning horror set in.  Those who could went into cover-up mode; the "fix was in."  

        One thing is clear: proper police protocol was trumped by the wishes, direction and browbeating  of the Pelham Manor village manger, John Pierpont, and police chief Al Mosiello.  The only proper procedural component that can be identified is that the Westchester County Police were called to be on the scene, because of the exceptional circumstances (a police officer injured, possible conflicts of involved members of the local government/police)

        No tickets were issued to the driver that night, despite the specific direction of the responding County Officer to issue summonses to Ms. Ruggiero.  Everyone, of course, felt for Ms. Ruggiero as what had occurred had been an accident- whether or not she had been using her cellphone, and had been distracted.  Ms. Ruggiero's blood was tested and it was quickly determined that no drugs or alcohol were involved.

        New York Army National Guard Capt. Michael Tillistrand is a decorated war veteran, having served in Afghanistan where he received the bronze star.  Tillistrand's other awards include the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Parachutist Badge, the Afghanistan Campaign and the National Defense Service Medal, and the NATO Medal.  Capt. Tillistrand served in the New York City Police Department after receiving his Bachelors Degree in history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

        The issue of whether Ms. Ruggiero had been texting or somehow otherwise "distracted" was never fully explored because there always remained a question of which cellphone was actually with her inside her vehicle at the time of the accident (one theory suggested her phone was swapped with another at the scene, or when she was rushed off to get a blood test).  The Westchester County District Attorney's Office subsequently revealed that Ms. Ruggiero had, in fact, been using her cellphone around the time of the accident, but it could not be "positively" determined that she was using it at the actual time she struck Officer Tillistrand.

        Numerous members of law enforcement, and who were present at the scene, would later voice the opinion that it was highly improbable that anyone (including Ms. Ruggiero) would be chatting or texting at that time because of the nature of the scene: a light rain was falling, the glare of flashing police emergency lights, and the natural slowing of vehicular traffic on the busy state road.  

        However, one member of law enforcement who had been at the scene has stated in no uncertain terms that Ms. Ruggiero admitted to him that she had, in fact, been on her cellphone, adding, ".... she immediately jumped out of her vehicle with cell phone in hand after hitting Mike.  She admitted she hadn't seen him and then told [REDACTED NAME- a member of law enforcement] that she was in fact on her phone....."

        The passage of time may have proven just one truth from that November 15, 2011 night: that Jillian Ruggiero and Michael Tillistrand were both involved in a terrible accident.  

But The Truth Wouldn't Matter, Only Advancing The Cover-Up

An Overview of the many troubling events provides insight into the involved "Ticket Fixing,"  "Obstruction of Justice," Tampering with Evidence" and violations of Federal Law:

1. Numerous officers who witnessed the accident firsthand were never questioned.
2. Officers on the scene, and who actually witnessed Officer Tillistrand being hit by the vehicle, were specifically told NOT TO WRITE ANY TICKETS.
3. The two tickets eventually issued to Jillian Ruggiero  9 months later, were not written by a member of law enforcement who had been at the scene of the accident.  (SEE TICKETS BELOW)
4. The two issued tickets were "defectively" written.
5. The vehicle driven by Jillian Ruggiero was owned by her father Joseph, and was evidence in the on-going investigation; that vehicle was brought to the Pelham Manor village garage that was run by her (the driver's) father. (Joseph Ruggiero gets one paycheck as fire chief, and another check for being the village mechanic) So, Joe Ruggiero had his own car brought to his village lift.  Journal News reporter James O'Rourke noted in his November 16, 2011 story that, "A silver coupe was covered by a tarp, perhaps to preserve evidence as it rained..." 
6. At the time, the Tillistrand family was falsely advised that the vehicle was being towed to a facility outside the influence of Pelham Manor, to be inspected by a representative of the Westchester Department of Public Safety.  (SEE PICTURES BELOW)
7. Village Manager John Pierpont told the family of Officer Tillistrand at the hospital that he was the village representative for the workman's comp. policy with PERMA, and that he was on the PERMA Board of Directors.  Pierpont, however, failed to reveal to the family any of the associated conflicts he had. 
8. Pierpont's wife Dianna, who is a nurse, and who had joined him at the hospital were caught going  through Officer Tillistrand's medical charts in violation of federal HIPAA laws; Jacobi Hospital's Chief SICU doctor would confirm that a night nurse saw Dianna Pierpont performing a physical evaluation on the severely injured officer.
9. Pierpont and his wife were escorted by security out of, and banned from, Jacobi Hospital. Previously, the Pierponts simply ignored the notice posted on the door of the hospital room that listed the names of those allowed inside, just 6 family members; the officer posted outside the room would not dare to question John or Dianna Pierpont.
10. There is an on-going and active federal investigation into the Village of Pelham Manor Village Manager Pierpont and his wife's actions concerning Officer Tillstrand's medical records.  The many questions involving the tampering with evidence and the obstruction of justice remain unanswered.....  

        We invite those members of law enforcement to comment on what tickets SHOULD HAVE BEEN ISSUED that rainy night when an on-duty officer was nearly killed.

        The Village of Pelham Manor Mayor, Board members and, subsequently, their so-called "independent investigator" have always been knowledgeable of the above facts, but they still refuse to address the grossly improper (and illegal) actions of their day-to-day operations manager John Pierpont. 

CHECK BACK SOON FOR PART II:

"In Pelham Manor, You Further "Fix" a Defective Ticket by Using a Corrupt Lawyer, and a Judge Who is Removed from the Bench for..... FIXING TICKETS !"

Ruggiero Tickets Vehicle