Nassau County District Attorney Denis Dillon recently announced that the DA's Criminal Frauds Bureau arrested Salvatore Sanzone, 65, of Massapequa for defrauding a 75-year-old widow.

According to Dillon, Sanzone, a licensed real estate broker with AA Premier Realty Ltd., a.k.a. ReMax Premier Realtors of Levittown defrauded a 75-year-old Hicksville widow out of $161,721.49 from November 1999 to December 2002.

The victim met the defendant in November of 1999 while selling her home. She had retained AA Premier Realty, otherwise known as ReMax Premier Realtors, in Levittown, to sell the Hicksville property.

"The victim had no substantial investment, real estate or business experience and Sanzone capitalized on that fact," Dillon explained. "Through this selling process Sanzone learned of her assets, and, as a result, he proceeded to offer the victim an opportunity to invest her money with his firm in some form of segregated account and told her it would yield a 16 percent return."

On Nov. 3, 1999, the victim withdrew $151,098.13 from her annuity account and invested the money with Sanzone. ($31,632.50 of the $151.098.13 was used to pay expenses associated with the sale of her Hicksville home.) In addition, on March 1, 2000 Sanzone falsely persuaded the victim to give him another $100,000 to be invested in a professional building occupied by doctors, promising a return of 8 percent. Lastly, on December of 2001 Sanzone persuaded the victim to apply for a business card in her name, which he used for both business and personal reasons, leaving the victim responsible for the $1,854.54 in outstanding credit card bills.

Sanzone has been charged with two counts of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, a Class C Felony and one count of Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, a Class E Felony. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in jail.

Sanzone was arraigned in First District Court in Hempstead. The charges are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.