Guldi spars with prosecutor

Former Suffolk County Legis. George Guldi continued testifying in his own defense in a Riverhead courtroom Thursday, jousting with the prosecutor over the times and location of cell phone calls and how an $863,000 insurance check was deposited into his bank account.

Guldi, who served in the legislature from 1993 until 2003, seemed to relish fielding questions from Assistant District Attorney Thalia Stavrides during her spirited cross-examination. Guldi appeared unperturbed as Stavrides walked him through specific cell phone calls, attempting to debunk his earlier testimony that he was not at his Westhampton Beach office on a day in January 2009 that a key witness against him has said Guldi told him he planned to forge an endorsement on the insurance check and deposit it in his account.

Guldi is accused of forging the lender's signature on an insurance check made out to him and the lender after his Westhampton Beach house burned down in 2008. The check required endorsement of both parties. Guldi is accused of forging the lender's endorsement, according to court papers. He testified that he did not forge the endorsement and said someone else deposited the check into the account.

County Court Judge James F.X. Doyle admonished both Guldi and Stavrides several times to keep the tone civil.

Guldi also faces a later trial on what prosecutors have described as his involvement in an $82-million mortgage fraud scheme.

Closing arguments are expected to start Monday.