Ex-SI Prez's Grandson Hid Cash In Dog House After Shooting Ex: Feds

NEW YORK CITY — The grandson of Staten Island's former borough president stands accused of shooting his ex-girlfriend, hiding his gun in a neighbor's trash bin and stashing cash linked to drug-dealing in a nearby dog house, unsealed court records and reports show.

Steven Molinaro — the 33-year-old grandson of James Molinaro — was expected to be arraigned in Brooklyn's federal court Tuesday on charges that he obstructed justice, possessed a gun and conspired to sell marijuana, court records show.

Federal prosecutors will ask Molinaro be held without bail, a detention letter shows.

"[Molinaro] violently shot his ex-girlfriend in the chest at close range, lied to law enforcement and attempted to discard the gun," the letter reads. "The defendant should be detained pending trial."

Molinaro's attorney Chad Seigel did not immediately respond to Patch's request for comment, but court records show the Staten Islander pleaded not guilty to state charges — among them attempted murder — in May.

Federal charges stem from the state's case, which accuses Molinaro of shooting his ex-girlfriend in the chest in his Lyman Avenue home on April 27, prosecutors said.

Before cops could arrive, Molinaro ran to a neighbor's trash bin where he dumped a garbage bag containing a Ruger 9mmm gun with his DNA on it and envelopes with his name and address, prosecutors said.

Molinaro also failed to hide about 43 kilograms of marijuana in vacuum-sealed bags, a money counter and a scale with drug residue on it, prosecutors said.

Nor did he successfully stash $161,000, some of which surveillance footage shows him attempting to hide in a nearby dog house, according to prosecutors.

Molinaro called 911, reporting the young woman had shot herself, about an hour after the incident, prosecutors contend.

Medics found the woman lying in the Staten Island home's master bedroom next to a pool of blood, court records show. She was taken to an area hospital for surgery.

"Following Jane Doe’s surgery, she identified Steven Molinaro as the shooter," prosecutors said.

Molinaro was arrested on a slew of state charges and arraigned in Staten Island Criminal Court on May 25, records show.

The Staten Island Advance reported at the time that Molinaro's attorney accused arresting officers of botching the investigation.

"[Officers were] peppering (the victim) with questions while she’s lying there bleeding," Seigel reportedly said in court. "Not trying to save her but pointing to (Molinaro) saying, ‘did he do it...tell us this man did it.’”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nina Gupta also mentioned arresting officers in her detention letter, submitted Tuesday to Brooklyn federal judges Nicholas Garaufis, Taryn Merkl and Robert Levy.

Writes Gupta, "After he was arrested, [Molinaro] told law enforcement .... that 'that is what females do to you' and complained that he had lost his money and his weed."