Grandson of former Staten Island BP indicted for shooting girlfriend

Also indicted for conspiracy to sell weed

August 23, 2022 Daniel Cody

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, more informally known as Brooklyn Federal Court, in Downtown Brooklyn. Photo: Rob Abruzzese

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A Staten Island man was indicted Tuesday in the Eastern District of New York on charges of felony possession of a firearm and ammunition, attempted obstruction of justice and conspiracy with intent to possess and distribute marijuana. Steven Molinaro, 33, the grandson of former Staten Island borough president James Molinaro of the Conservative Party, was arraigned Tuesday afternoon in Brooklyn Federal Court.

The arraignment was presided over by U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert Levy. Molinaro was taken into custody on the morning of Aug. 23 when he appeared in court in Staten Island. Molinaro has entered a plea of not guilty to the indictment released Tuesday afternoon.

Molinaro’s next court date has been scheduled on September 6 before United States District Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis.

Prosecutors say that Molinaro poses a significant risk of flight if he is released prior to his trial. His personal social media features photos of him on private jets.

Molinaro has an extensive criminal history, which includes various violations of the New York Penal Law: riot in the first degree, assault in the second degree with intent to cause physical injury with a weapon/instrument.

Steven Molinaro, the grandson of Staten Island borough president James Molinaro. Photo courtesy of the Eastern District of New York

In May of 2016, Molinaro was charged with selling marijuana in New Jersey. In August 2016, he was convicted of selling marijuana in California.

On or about April 27, 2022, Molinaro had allegedly shot his girlfriend in the chest at their residence on Lyman Avenue in Staten Island. Molinaro then called 911 and attempted to mislead law enforcement, saying that a woman had accidentally shot herself.

When law enforcement responded to the scene, Molinaro and his co-conspirator were in the master bedroom of the house with ‘Jane Doe,’ Molinaro’s then-girlfriend, who lay shot next to a pool of blood.

Molinaro told law enforcement – contradicting himself – that Jane Doe had been shot by her ex-boyfriend. Molinaro furthermore said that he called 911 a whole hour after the victim was shot.

Molinaro, several minutes prior to when law enforcement arrived, discarded a trash bag in the neighbor’s trash can. The trash bag contained a Ruger 9mm firearm with a 9mm cartridge. The trash bag also contained envelopes with Molinaro’s name and address. DNA testing done on the firearm, which was compared to DNA belonging to Molinaro on a cigarette butt, revealed that they matched to a degree of high probability. Additionally, the gun matched a shell casing found in the master bedroom where the victim was shot.

Video surveillance confirmed that Molinaro and his co-conspirator were the only people to leave the home during the relevant time, discounting any probability that the victim was not shot by Molinaro.

After the victim recovered from surgery, she had identified Molinaro as the shooter.

Also recovered at Molinaro’s residence were 43 kilograms of marijuana, most of which was contained inside plastic bags, as well as $161,000 in cash. Video revealed that Molinaro’s co-conspirator attempted to hide a portion of that cash in a doghouse outside the residence.