Retired FDNY Capt. James Rogers, convicted in fatal Bay Shore dispute, gets probation

A retired FDNY captain from Babylon was sentenced to 5 years of probation for causing the death of a man he punched during an argument who Suffolk prosecutors said suffered a heart attack at the scene and died.

James Rogers, who was 66 at the time of the Feb. 27, 2025, altercation outside Bay Shore United Methodist Church, also must adhere to "drug, alcohol and anger management conditions," Anna Sokol, a spokesperson for the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, told Newsday late Monday in an email.

A Suffolk County judge sentenced Rogers on Monday.

Rogers and Mark Iacono, 65, of Patchogue, had just left an evening Alcoholics Anonymous meeting at the church when they began to argue over a business dispute, Suffolk police said at the time. At some point during the argument, Rogers punched Iacono multiple times, police said. Iacono then suffered a heart attack, Sokol said. He was transported to South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore, where he was pronounced dead, Newsday previously reported.

Rogers, a 22-year FDNY veteran and a registered nurse who operated a pair of assisted living facilities, pleaded not guilty to first-degree manslaughter at First District Court in Central Islip the day after the physical altercation, Newsday previously reported.

After an 18-month investigation into the case, Sokol said Monday evening, the district attorney’s office determined "the only charge the evidence would support was criminally negligent homicide." Rogers pleaded guilty to that charge July 30.

"This was an unfortunate case involving a very brief physical altercation between two 65-year-old men, one of whom — the victim — had a very serious pre-existing heart condition and suffered a heart attack during the encounter," Sokol said. "Our condolences remain with the victim’s loved ones as this case comes to an appropriate disposition."

Anthony La Pinta, the defense attorney who represented Rogers, told Newsday via text message he and his client were "thankful that the District Attorney's Office thoroughly investigated this case" that began as "a fist fight" that ended "with unintended tragic results." He added that his client plans to retire as a nurse and from his duties at the assisted living facilities.

"Mr. Rogers has lived an an accomplished life as a public servant helping people as a New York City Fire Department Chief and a Registered Nurse," La Pinta added. "I expect that he will be a model probationer."