8 students charged with fighting over a woman

Editor's note: This story was written in 1999. Sal Alosi, then 21, was one of eight Hofstra students arrested during his junior year on the Hempstead campus and accused of forcing their way into a dorm room and assaulting three students. Four of the suspects, including Alosi, were identified by university officials at the time as off-duty campus security employees and immediately were suspended from those jobs.

After pleading not guilty to misdemeanor charges of third-degree assault, punishable by up to a year in jail, Alosi later pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of harassment in the second degree, a misdemeanor.

He was sentenced to a conditional discharge and 20 hours of community service, according to Chris Munzing, of the Nassau County District Attorney’s office Monday. Alosi’s playing career at Hofstra, which featured three appearances in four years in the Division I-AA playoffs, was not interrupted and he graduated in 2001 with a degree in exercise science.  Below is the original Newsday story from March 1999.

Eight Hofstra University students, including three football players, were arrested on assault charges Sunday and Monday for allegedly pushing their way into a dorm room early Sunday morning and beating up three students.

Nassau County Police said Douglas Larsen, 20, Sal Alosi, 21, Leo Alvez, 21, Otto Brito, 22, Thomas Caputo, 22, Michael Curry, 19, Martin Haber, 22, and Seth Mittman, 22, were charged with third-degree assault, a class A misdemeanor, and ordered to appear in court March 23.

Police said the attack may have been over a woman. The three victims received minor cuts and bruises and were treated and released at local hospitals.

"One of the victims was a bouncer at a local bar who is going out with a girl who used to date a football player," said Nassau Third Squad Det. Sgt. Dennis Barry. "The football player had his guys to back him up and they initiated the fight, so they were the ones arrested."

Lawrence Kelly, attorney for one of the victims, said the attackers sneaked past security in Cambridge Hall by climbing through a first-floor window.

One of the students who was attacked and asked not to be identified, said he and four friends were watching a movie in his dorm when they answered a knock at the door.

"They told me to come outside, and I said no," the student said. "I turned to walk back into my room, and someone struck me on the left side of the head. I fell on the bed, and they all just came right in, shut the TV off and attacked me and two of my friends." The other two friends were not attacked.

He said that on Friday, the same group of men had threatened him and his friends by calling on the phone and pounding on the door.

"I can't go back there," said the student, who has moved off campus.

"I'm scared . . . I'm paying $22,000 a year and I can't go to classes or to my dorm. It's ridiculous."

The student confirmed that one of his friends and one of the football players had dated the same woman.

University spokesman Michael Deluise said all the arrested students would face disciplinary hearings to determine any punishment by the university. The football players are Alosi and Larsen, linebackers, and Curry, an offensive tackle.

"It just happens that they were football players, but this wasn't a football-related incident, " said Deluise.

Students at the Uniondale campus yesterday expressed concern and said the beatings gave the football program a bad name. Freshman Jill

Vanik, 19, said, "There should be something done to show that football players can't get away with everything."

The sports information director declined to comment yesterday.

Football coach Joe Gardi was unavailable.