Nassau DA probe: Was Massapequa house raffle a scam?

Last summer, a Massapequa homeowner made headlines when he launched a raffle for a waterfront home, aiming to give some lucky ticket holder the $1-million house at 17 Lincoln Place for the bargain-basement price of a $50 raffle.

Now, Nassau County prosecutors are investigating whether John Luongo's raffle was a scheme to bilk hopeful raffle buyers of hundreds of thousands of dollars after ticket holders complained that, many months later, no winner of the contest has been announced.

"Whether a crime has been committed is still under investigation, but we need as much information as possible before we can make that determination," Nassau District Attorney Kathleen Rice said. "If you purchased a ticket for this raffle, your information could prove invaluable."

Rice said the raffle was supposed to take place in December.

On a website promoting the raffle and for purchasing tickets, a new notice says, "Do [sic] to the miscommunication from certain media outlets and our misunderstanding of certain laws, we are now completely canceling the raffle."

It continued: "We are sorry we could not fulfill the dream we set out to and thank you for your patronage."

Luongo could not be reached for comment.

About 16,000 people bought the $50 tickets, Rice said.

The raffle has been rescheduled several times and has not taken place. And ticket buyers complained they have not been able to get their money back.

County authorities said raffle buyers may access a general criminal complaint form at nassauda.org.