Former NYS trooper accused of staging his own shooting appears in court on Long Island
A former New York State trooper accused of shooting himself and then lying about it appeared in a Long Island courtroom Wednesday.
Thomas Mascia was expected to enter a guilty plea, but when the judge asked him if he was in good mental health – a routine question – Mascia's answer was, "No." He quickly changed his answer to yes, but the judge put the plea on hold after the 27-year-old signed a court document as "Trooper" Mascia even though Mascia has been fired from New York State Police.
"I don't think what he said was wrong. As I said, you're undergoing mental health treatment because you shot yourself and lied about it and caused a multiday man hunt for some non-existent shooter. Obviously he's undergoing some severe mental health issues. Doesn't mean that he's not capable of pleading guilty," defense attorney Jeffrey Lichtman said.
Mascia, of West Hempstead, reported that he was shot in the leg while checking on a disabled vehicle on the Southern State Parkway last October.
The shooting prompted a manhunt for the vehicle and the suspect he described. But prosecutors say the investigation found Mascia actually shot himself.
"The shooter we were all looking for only existed in Mascia's head, in his imagination," Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said when the charges were announced earlier this year.
"I don't know if we will ever fully know. Obviously it was a cry for help in some way," Lichtman said.
Police have suggested Mascia was looking for attention and sympathy of an ex-girlfriend.
Mental health treatment is part of the plea deal, in addition to an order of protection, six months in jail and $289,500 in restitution to New York State Police.
Thomas Mascia accused of staging his own shooting
Prosecutors say he staged the whole thing -- dropping shell casings on the parkway, driving to Hempstead Lake Park where they say he shot himself, and then returning to report the shooting.
He now faces charges of evidence tampering, falsely reporting an incident and official misconduct.
"This case is a tragedy that was caused by unseen and untreated mental health issues. And now an entire family is suffering for it as they usually do in such situations," Lichtman said.
CBS News New York learned Mascia also claimed he was injured by a hit-and-run driver in 2022, but that story was unsubstantiated.
Prosecutors say a search of the home that he shares with his parents, Dorothy and Thomas, in West Hempstead uncovered an illegal assault-style gun and $80,000 in cash. They were charged with criminal possession of a firearm.
Thomas Mascia Sr. is a former NYPD officer who was convicted in a 1990s cocaine ring.
