Convicted Massapequa Cop Impersonator Sentenced To 15 Years' Jail Time: Judge

MINEOLA, NY. — A Massapequa man was sentenced to 15 years in jail Tuesday after prosecutors said police had found a firearm and police paraphernalia in a Chevy Impala that the man had retrofitted to look like a police car during a 2023 traffic stop.

Andrew Denton was sentenced to 15 years each on two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, seven years on one count of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, and one-and-a-half to three years on a charge of impersonating a police officer Tuesday, sentences handed down by Judge Tammy Robbins.

Those sentences, Robbins said, would take place concurrently. The second-degree weapons possession charges carry a five-year post-release supervision period, while the third-degree charge carries a three-year post-release supervision period.

Denton's attorney, Bill Kephart, requested a shortened sentence Tuesday, referencing Denton's mental health history.

Prosecutors called Denton a danger to himself and others Tuesday, citing his prior legal history and a number of inmate discipline incidents on his record. Body cam footage from his arrest, prosecutors said, revealed Denton admitting to officers that he was a prior felon.

Before his sentencing, Denton was given the opportunity to make a statement before the court, an opportunity he took. In his statement, Denton said he had remained silent and withheld protest against his characterization by prosecutors, calling the assistant district attorney prosecuting the case, “overzealous.”

“I am a good person who cares about others and strives to do well,” Denton told the court.

Denton is due back in court Feb. 19 in connection with an incident that took place Oct. 26, 2022, for which he was arrested Mar. 16, 2025. That appearance will be made before Judge Helene Gugerty.