Crime in brief

Central Islip Sentencing delayed for cigarette dealer

A federal judge has postponed until next Friday the sentencing of Poospatuck Indian Reservation cigarette magnate Rodney Morrison on an illegal weapon conviction.

Morrison was scheduled to be sentenced today in federal court in Central Islip.

Prosecutors have asked that Morrison be sentenced to the maximum term of 10 years. His attorneys have argued that he should be sentenced only to time already served.

Since his 2004 arrest, Morrison has been held without bail.

Morrison had also faced sentencing for racketeering, for bootlegging millions of dollars in untaxed cigarettes from the Mastic reservation. But in a surprise decision April 16, the judge threw out the racketeering conviction on a technicality.

- ROBERT E. KESSLER

Smithtown Chase Bank branch robbed on West Main

Police are searching for a man who robbed a Smithtown bank after he handed a teller a demand note and ran away with cash.

The thief robbed a Chase bank branch on West Main Street about 3:40 p.m. Wednesday. The suspect was described as 30 to 40 years old, about 6 feet tall with a medium to stocky build. He was wearing a fake beard, dark plastic sunglasses, a dark knit cap, dark sweatshirt, faded jeans and sneakers. Police did not say how much money was stolen.

The man was last seen running west across the bank parking lot, police said.

- JOHN VALENTI