Police Dig Deeper Into Man Who Faked Death

Raymond Roth may have been involved in two other other cases involving women who were approached by a suspicious man in a van, Nassau County Police confirmed Thursday.

Roth, 48, a former Massapequa resident now living in Long Beach, was arrested Wednesday in an incident that police said occurred just hours after he pleaded guilty to faking his death at Jones Beach over the summer.

He is being accused of impersonating a police officer and trying to lure a woman into a white minivan on March 21, cops said.

At his arraignment Thursday, Roth pleaded not guilty to the most recent charges of criminal impersonation, attempted kidnapping and attempted burglary.

He was ordered held without bail.

At a news conference, at Nassau police headquarters, Det.-Lt. Robert Galgano said law enforcement officials are looking at two other incidents that may have involved Roth.

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"One took place at the end of February and one took place on March 16," he said, adding that Roth has not yet been charged in those incidents. They both involved a man trying to lure women into a van in the Village of Freeport, Galgano said.

Nobody was hurt in any of the incidents.

Galgano also outlined details of last week's arrest, in which Roth allegedly tried to lure a woman into a white minivan in the Village of Freeport.

The woman refused and ran away. Roth chased after her, according to Galgano.

"During that chase, he was yelling at her that he was a police officer," he said. "He wanted her to get into the car. He repeatedly said that to her, trying to get her to submit to his purported authority of being a police officer."

Instead, the woman ran into a nearby check cashing business. Roth showed up there a short time later and again claimed to be a police officer, Galgano said.

He left when workers at the check cashing store called police.

Roth never showed any type of identification or displayed a weapon, although one witness told cops he reached for his waistband.

Authorities made the connection after receiving tips from the public, when surveillance tape from the incident was shown on television news.

Police arrested Roth at 2:15 p.m. Wednesday in Mineola outside a County agency where he had an appointment. Galgano wouldn't say what agency or what Roth was doing there.

Roth was already in trouble with the law after being charged with faking his death at Jones Beach on July 28. He turned up alive in Florida several days later.

Last week he agreed to a plea deal that would have had him serve 90 days in jail for faking his death. He would also serve five days probation and make restitution to the Nassau County Police Department and U.S. Coast Guard.