Judge rejects LI banana mogul Thomas Hoey's bail request

A federal judge in Manhattan has denied a request from millionaire Long Island banana mogul Thomas Hoey to get bail in a case charging him with supplying the drugs that killed a woman and suborning perjury by a grand jury witness.

Hoey, 45, of Garden City, who has been held in jail since his December arrest, argued that his business, the Long Island Banana Co., is suffering and employees may lose their jobs. He offered to post a $7 million bail package.

But U.S. District Judge Kevin Castel, in a ruling Thursday, said Hoey has international connections, faces a mandatory minimum sentence of at least 10 years on drug charges, and might again try to tamper with witnesses.

Hoey is charged with supplying cocaine that led to the death of Kim Calo, 41, of Glenwood Landing, during a 2009 sex party at a Manhattan hotel. He is scheduled to go to trial next week in state court on separate charges of assaulting a girlfriend.