Police: No evidence of sexting by suburban NY official

MASSAPEQUA PARK, N.Y. — A television news report alleging that the top official in one of America's largest suburban counties was sending sexually suggestive texts to women was the result of a hoax, a police detective said Thursday following a nearly three-week investigation.

"As far as I'm concerned, the sexting case is closed," Nassau County Detective Sgt. Patrick Ryder told reporters.

Investigators uncovered no evidence, he said, that Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano had been exchanging texts or Twitter messages with a public relations executive who did business with the Long Island county, just east of New York City.

The sexting scandal grew out of a WCBS-TV report on Feb. 13. The report alleged that Mangano, who is in his second term, had been communicating with women in sexually suggestive ways.

During the report, the station quoted from what it said were texts between Mangano and Karin Murphy Caro. It didn't say how it had obtained the messages.

Police investigators have concluded that the messages were all fake. One of them, Ryder said, appeared to have been copied verbatim from a gossip column about singer Gwen Stefani.

Rachel Ferguson, a spokeswoman for WCBS-TV, declined comment.

Mangano, a 53-year-old Long Island Republican, has vehemently denied sexually suggestive texts were sent from his phone. Caro also denied sexting. Ryder said that both submitted their cellphones to investigators, who found no evidence the two had ever communicated electronically.

"As I stated from the moment this matter was brought to my attention, my family and I are the victims of a hoax perpetuated by a deranged individual," Mangano said in a statement following the police press conference.

Caro, 40, sent a Twitter message on Thursday that simply said "Thank you."

Although there is no evidence of a personal relationship, the two have met professionally. In a video Caro produced that was put on YouTube in 2013, she is shown interviewing Mangano in his office, thanking him for "giving a regular girl like me the opportunity to sit down with you; I mean, you're an amazing guy."

Mangano is the chief executive of a county of 1.3 million people and has control over a $2.9 billion budget, 7,250 employees, public works, social services and, most notably, the police.

Ryder defended the police department investigation of the county leader, saying he was not influenced by political pressure, as some have said.

"My job is to follow the evidence. I don't get involved in the politics," he said.

Ryder added that he sought in vain to learn the identity of the person who may have generated the phony texts. "I wanted the end to the game, but I can't find it." He said he understood WCBS had a right to protect its sources. "I understand it, I honor it and we move on."

Mangano's spokesman indicated the county executive had no desire to pursue the case further.

Caro received two contracts to provide "unique expertise" in promoting special events for the county's parks department. The contracts were for just under $25,000, a sum that does not require county legislative approval.

The district attorney has said she is currently reviewing the county's contract procurement procedures.