Ex-Bay Shore Teacher Gets Up To 50 Years In Child Sex Abuse Case: DA

BAY SHORE, NY — A former Bay Shore elementary school teacher convicted in a child sex abuse case was sentenced Wednesday to 33 1/3 to 50 years in state prison, Suffolk County District Attorney's office said.

Thomas Bernagozzi, 77, a retired third-grade teacher who worked in the Bay Shore Union Free School District for decades before retiring in 2003, was previously found guilty on 5 of 7 felony charges, including sodomy, course of sexual conduct against a child and three counts of sexual performance by a child, prosecutors said.

The sentence reflects the maximum allowed under the law on the top two charges — 25 years for course of sexual conduct against a child and 8 1/3 to 25 years for sodomy, according to the district attorney’s office.

Authorities said the abuse involved former students at Gardiner Manor Elementary School and Mary G. Clarkson Elementary School and dated back to the late 1980s and early 2000s.

Prosecutors previously said some incidents could not be criminally charged because they fell outside New York’s statute of limitations.

According to prior Patch reporting and statements from the district attorney’s office, Bernagozzi was a well-known figure in the district who ran school plays, coached after-school sports and organized outings for students that included trips to local beaches, gyms and Broadway shows. Prosecutors said those roles gave him extensive access to students over many years.

In a statement following Bernagozzi’s conviction, Tierney called him “one of the most prolific serial pedophiles of our time” and said the case marked the first time he was held criminally accountable despite earlier civil findings against the school district.

Tierney also credited three former students who testified during the trial, calling them “brave men” who ensured that “justice, though delayed, was not denied.”

Bernagozzi was first arrested in December 2023 and later faced additional 2024 indictments related to possession of sexual performance by a child, prosecutors previously said.

Dozens of civil lawsuits were filed against both Bernagozzi and the Bay Shore school district under the New York State Child Victims Act. At least one lawsuit was settled in 2024, according to prior reports.

He was represented by Eric Besso and Samuel Demeglio, who did not immediately respond to Patch for comment following sentencing.