Former LI Prison Guard Gets 2 Years Probation In Cop Impersonation Case: DA

RIVERSIDE, NY — A former state prison guard from Long Island caught in a sting operation, prompted by accusations he pulled a woman over at the side of the road and asked her for nude photographs of herself, was sentenced Tuesday to first-degree criminal impersonation, a Suffolk District Attorney spokeswoman said.

David Olivari, 38, of Coram was arrested in February 2022 in a sting operation in Commack after he arrived at a predetermined location believing that he was meeting one of the women he had previously pulled over, District Attorney Ray Tierney's office previously said.

He finished court-ordered counseling, and was sentenced to two years probation, the DA's office said.

Patch has reached out to his defense attorney, Michael Brown of Central Islip.

Brown told CBS, "He's done all the counseling that he was required to do, and he's definitely bettering himself as a human being. He's extremely remorseful, and he's moving forward."

Between Jan. 22 and 23, Olivari used a flashing light in his personal vehicle to pull over cars driven by unaccompanied women in central Suffolk. He falsely identified himself as a police officer, had them unlock their cellphones, and asked them to hand their unlocked cellphones to him, Tierney's office said.

A woman told investigators she was driving on the Long Island Expressway service road in Ronkonkoma around 3 a.m. on Jan. 22 when she was stopped by a man driving a small, dark-colored vehicle equipped with a flashing light.

Olivari took her cellphone and accessed her personal number before he gave the device back, said police. He then contacted her and asked her to send him nude photographs of herself.

A second woman told police she was also pulled over while driving on Shenandoah Boulevard in Nesconset around 11:35 p.m. on Jan. 23, police said.

The department partnered with prosecutors and Olivari appeared for a “date” with the woman, according to Tierney's office.

Olivari repeatedly endangered drivers "by conducting traffic stops for which he had neither authority, nor training," Tierney said.

"The message here is that no one is above the law, including a corrections officer who acted so egregiously outside of his official duties in attempting to prey upon otherwise unsuspecting female motorists,” he added.

He credited investigators for their "thorough and professional investigation, and for assisting my Office in bringing this individual to justice.”

Olivari was fired by the state’s Corrections Department and Community Supervision after his arrest, according to Tierney's office.

He pleaded guilty last September.

Michael DeSantis contributed additional reporting to this story.