Nassau lawmakers OK $1.7M settlement for Robert Besedin Sr. in 2017 police brutality case
Robert Besedin Sr., of Baldwin, shown in Hempstead at his attorney's office in July 2020. Credit: Newsday/Chris Ware
The Nassau Legislature approved a more than $1.7 million settlement Monday to a Baldwin man who accused county police officers of hurling him down the front steps of his home in 2017.
The legislature gave the go-ahead to pay out the money to Robert Besedin Sr. after a federal jury last year found the county liable for battery perpetrated by its police officers. The jury also said one of the two officers involved in the encounter was responsible for using excessive force.
“It's been a long time coming to try and find some justice for Mr. Besedin,” said Frederick Brewington, an attorney for Besedin. “And more than just the money, we hope that there will be some serious changes and discipline for these officers.”
In 2018, Besedin filed a lawsuit saying that officers Stephen Beckwith and Dominick Mantovani had violated his civil rights. He accused the county and its police force of neglecting specific training and oversight. The federal jury had awarded Besedin more than $2.3 million that included $1.6 million for punitive damages.
The encounter between the officers played out in February 2017. Besedin, an Air Force veteran, had called the police several times after his tools were stolen when his store was burglarized. The two officers went to Besedin’s house three times and told him that he would be charged if he continued calling 911.
Besedin was accused of ridiculing police for being unable to solve the theft and hitting Beckwith on the hand after he pressed his finger into Besedin’s face.
The two officers said in court that they were in the process of taking Besedin into custody when he thrust away from his home, leading all of them off the porch.
However, video recorded by Besedin’s security system showed Mantovani tossing Beckwith down the concrete stairs, a lawyer for Besedin said.
The Nassau County Police Department did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Besedin’s lawyer said the incident aggravated an earlier brain injury. Besedin was eventually charged with several offenses, including second-degree assault and resisting arrest.
Prosecutors dropped the charges and the federal jury later said that the officers had exploited the judicial process.
The Internal Affairs Bureau had asked the two officers about the incident, though investigators there didn’t examine the footage of the event, the officers testified.
“This is an important case because the police lied,” Brewington said in a phone interview. “They put sworn statements before the court and charged him criminally. And when they did that, they didn't know there was a camera.”
Newsday's Michael O'Keeffe contributed to this story.
Correction: Nassau County approved a $1.7 million judgment for Robert Besedin Jr. for a 2017 incident involving police. An earlier version misstated the amount of money Besedin received.
Tiffany Cusaac-Smith is a general assignment reporter for Newsday. She previously worked at USA TODAY and is an alum of Howard University.
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