Former Bay Shore elementary school teacher Thomas Bernagozzi, 77, has been convicted of sexually abusing three of his students, bringing a decades-long saga of alleged abuse to a legal conclusion that has deeply affected generations of students and families. A Riverhead jury found Bernagozzi guilty on five of seven felony sex crime charges, including sodomy, sexual conduct of a child, and three counts of possessing sexual performance of a child. He faces a potential sentence of up to 25 years in prison for the first two counts. The verdict, met with gasps and tears in the courtroom, was announced as Bernagozzi showed no visible emotion, being escorted out by officers.

Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney underscored the significance of the conviction, stating that Bernagozzi, described as "one of the most prolific serial pedophiles of our time," had been "hiding in plain sight" for 50 years under the guise of a trusted educator. Tierney noted that Bernagozzi had previously evaded prosecution due to expired statutes of limitations, exploiting the trust placed in him by young, innocent students and the shame they would feel as they aged. The criminal charges specifically related to abuse involving two students, aged 4 and 7 when the alleged abuse began in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and to photo negatives dating back to 1987, found during a December 2023 search warrant execution, which depicted another 8-year-old former student with his genitals exposed.

Prosecutors detailed Bernagozzi's grooming methods, explaining that he exploited the "blind trust" of parents to gain unfettered access to children. He lavished boys with gifts, took them on elaborate trips to New York City for Broadway shows and professional sporting events, and created extracurricular programs like sports and theater to form "twisted and manipulative" relationships. Assistant Suffolk County District Attorney MacDonald Drane characterized these programs as a "ruse" to isolate boys, leading to inappropriate touching under the guise of changing clothes or applying talcum powder. Bernagozzi cultivated a reputation as a "master teacher" with an engaging and eccentric class culture, marked by plays, field trips, celebrity correspondence, and an "All-Star chart" that frequently saw male students at the top. This persona, coupled with rewards like ice cream and special attention, helped him captivate students and parents alike.

However, Bernagozzi's defense attorney, Steve Politi, vehemently denied the allegations, asserting that they were "fabricated" by men who filed civil lawsuits with the "singular purpose of making money." Politi argued that the criminal case was a "strategic decision by attorneys" and that the allegations defied logic, suggesting the former students sought to blame the teacher for their personal failures. He highlighted that the three complainants in the criminal case had never reported the abuse to parents, police, or school officials at the time, only coming forward more than 20 years later when contacted by civil attorneys. All three had settled civil claims with the school district or its insurers.

The conviction follows significant legal action against the Bay Shore school district itself, which has faced 45 separate lawsuits filed between July 2020 and August 2021 under the state's Child Victims Act. These civil suits, alleging sexual abuse by Bernagozzi, have already cost the district $75 million in settlements, making it the highest number of claims against any Long Island public school district. The Child Victims Act, passed in 2019, allowed childhood survivors a temporary window to file lawsuits, circumventing previous statutes of limitations.

A Newsday investigation and subsequent court testimonies revealed a pattern of alleged district knowledge and inaction regarding Bernagozzi's behavior over decades. As early as 1971, an allegation of "pedophilia" against Bernagozzi was investigated, with documentation placed in a sealed envelope that later went missing. District officials claimed these 1971 allegations were deemed "unfounded." Throughout his tenure, administrators, including principals in 1975 and 1994, instructed Bernagozzi to stop having children sit on his lap. Parents also reported abuse allegations in 1977 and 1987, with no evidence of district investigation or action. In 1992, Bernagozzi was suspended during an investigation into bathroom abuse, but parents reportedly dropped the allegations at the suggestion of then-Superintendent Crescent Bellamore, who advised against "needless trauma" for the child, resulting in no existing records of the investigation.

New administrators also grappled with Bernagozzi. In 1994, principal Claire Lenz, upon learning of prior allegations, became vigilant, barring him from after-school sports and instructing him not to touch students or allow lap-sitting. Lenz, however, felt she lacked the authority to remove him and believed Superintendent Evelyn Holman removed her from her position because of her persistence in dealing with Bernagozzi. Holman, who became superintendent in July 1994, testified that she concluded "early on" that Bernagozzi did not belong in the classroom but felt constrained by a lack of "proof" and high tensions with the teachers' union. Holman disputed former union president Don Reuss's claim that they never discussed Bernagozzi's issues. Ultimately, Bernagozzi was banned from school property in November 2000 by Holman, following a staffer's memo detailing him taking a boy into a bathroom earlier that year, after his retirement in June 2000 and return as a substitute and volunteer.

The profound impact of the alleged abuse is evident in the testimonies of the men who have come forward. Robby Hubbard, who experienced abuse in 1973, bravely confronted Bernagozzi at a school event in the mid-1980s, calling him a "child molester," only to be allegedly fired from his security guard job for relentlessly pursuing an investigation. Hubbard also recounted reporting the abuse to a trusted security director, who promised to act but later advised him to "leave it alone." Brothers C.J. Brandl and Chris Brandl, both abused in the late 1980s, shared their struggles with addiction, attributing their self-destructive paths to the trauma and the shame that led C.J. to silently regret not protecting his younger brother. Dr. Matthew Joseph Higgins, abused in 1976-77, revealed his abuse after nightmares, leading his father to remove him from the district. Higgins, now an anesthesiologist, spoke out to inspire other survivors and to convey to Bernagozzi that "he didn't wreck me." A common thread among victims is the long-held secret, the shame, and the significant personal problems carried into adult life.

The community's response to the allegations and the district's perceived silence has been critical. Bay Shore Superintendent Steven Maloney's statement, which focused on the financial impact on taxpayers rather than the victims' suffering, was called "out of touch" and "insensitive" by community members like Christina Puccio. This perceived lack of empathy led to a candlelight vigil for "strength, healing, justice," organized by individuals including Tonya Wyss, a former student who once praised Bernagozzi as her favorite teacher and now struggles with rewriting her childhood memories. Evelyn Holman, the former superintendent, reflected on the situation, stating, "If more people had spoken up and followed through and all this, maybe we could have saved a few kids." However, Robby Hubbard's poignant response, "I reached out when I was young... and it fell on deaf ears," highlights the deep-seated failure of the system to protect vulnerable children.