Sentencing of Former Councilman Postponed

Michael Fagen, the former Long Beach City Council member convicted of stealing unemployment benefits early this year, will not be sentenced as scheduled on Monday.

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Judge Meryl Berkowitz will sentence Fagen at a later date, Chris Munzing, a spokesman for the Nassau County District Attorney’s office, told Patch, but he didn’t provide a reason for the postponement. Fagen’s court appearance has not yet been rescheduled.

On Feb. 5 a jury convicted Fagen, 56, on charges that stemmed from his collection of more than $15,000 in unemployment benefits. Less than a week later the Democrat councilman was forced to resign on his conviction for a felony. Long Beach resident and attorney Eileen Goggin was appointed to fill Fagen’s term that expires this year.

During the trial, prosecutors said that Fagen failed to report his $19,828 yearly income as a councilman and he received $405 weekly in unemployment insurance benefits after he took office in January 2010.

After about two weeks of deliberations, the jury in February convicted Fagen of 18 counts of first-degree offering a false instrument for filing and one misdemeanor count of petit larceny. Jurors failed to reach verdicts on 20 additional counts of offering a false instrument for filing, as well as the top charge, one count of third-degree grand larceny. 

Marc Gann, Fagen's attorney, said that he intends to appeal. Fagen faces up to four years in prison. 

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