Packed courtroom

Among those in the audience is Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney, which is not unusual for a high-profile sentencing.

Also in the courtroom are some of the men who filed civil claims against the district, parents of some of those men and past employees of the district.

Bernagozzi was hired by Bay Shore in 1970 and the earliest abuse alleged in the civil cases began soon after, with allegations spanning more than 50 years. The criminal case covered abuse beginning as early as 1989, continuing for more than a decade until his retirement in 2000.

By Grant Parpan

grant.parpan@newsday.com@GrantParpan

Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.