Crime & Safety

Cops: Brick Man Arrested in Bizarre Harassment Case

Cops: man tracked down college flame, threatened to send food, strippers to her

A Brick man has turned himself in to Stamford, Ct. police after they say he harassed a woman he dated more than 20 years ago for an extended period of time, including sending a variety of ordered goods and food to her home, according to Lt. Diedrich Hohn.

According to Hohn, a New Canaan woman and her husband in December 2012 began receiving harassing phone calls from a man identified by authorities as Donato Anthony Minicozzi, 49, of Lions Head South Blvd. in Brick, N.J.

Minicozzi, police charge, was calling the woman and her husband at their home and at his place of business in Stamford's financial sector, which is when Stamford authorities got involved.

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Minicozzi was allegedly telling the woman he "wanted her" and she "belonged to him," telling her husband that he was going to "have her" and ordering large amounts of delivery food, like large quantities of Chinese food or 20 pizzas at a time. He also began threatening to send strippers and call girls, police said.

Hohn said the woman dated Minicozzi back in their college days, but she couldn't initially figure out who it was that was calling. Police said she eventually pieced it together because of information Minicozzi had about her family and college experience.

Find out what's happening in Brickwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Hohn said the woman's husband had been recording the harassing phone calls and provided police with copies of all the conversations. In them, Minicozzi also allegedly made comments about wanting something in return in order for the victims to be left alone. He did not mention money, but some other type of compensation.

When police finally tracked Minicozzi down, Hohn said Minicozzi was surprised because, they say, he'd been using a disposable cell phone to make the calls.

Once confronted by authorities, police say he admitted to making the calls and apologized, saying it was a joke that had gotten out of hand, and drove from Brick to Stamford to turn himself over to police. Hohn said in addition to admitting to the phone calls, Minicozzi also provided police with the cell phone from which the calls were made.

Hohn said they had no further thoughts on a motive or how or why he'd tracked the woman down after so many years, though Minicozzi also worked in the financial sector and knew who the woman's husband was. He said Minicozzi only offered that he'd been lonely after recently going through a divorce and took things too far.

Minicozzi was charged with first-degree harassment (terrorizing or threatening), second-degree threatening and attempt to commit first-degree larceny (extortion).

He was issued a $50,000 bond, which he posted.


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