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Felony Charges for N.J. Pair

Thu, 08/22/2024 - 11:37

Two Jersey City residents were set to return to East Hampton Town Justice Court on Thursday in a virtual follow-up after both were arraigned on July 26 on charges of possessing stolen property; one was additionally charged with felony drug possession.

According to police reports released this week, Francisco Leonpopa, 24, and Melissa Rossi, 22, were allegedly in possession of a J.P. Morgan Visa credit card at Duryea’s in Montauk on July 25 without consent of the cardholder. Later that day on South Emery Street in Montauk, police said Mr. Leonpopa was found to have three vials of a substance that later tested positive for crack cocaine. The drugs weighed over 500 milligrams, according to police.

Police charged Mr. Leonpopa with a class-D felony for drug possession and two class-E felonies for possession of the stolen property. Ms. Rossi was charged only with one class-E felony for possession of stolen property.

The next day, East Hampton Judge Steven Tekulsky released both Mr. Leonpopa and Ms. Rossi on their own recognizance and scheduled the virtual follow-up.

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