Ex-Long Island lawmaker pleads guilty to patronizing prostitute, lying about it

A former Long Island legislator pleaded guilty Friday to patronizing a prostitute and tampering with public records after he was arrested for trying to trade pills for sexual favors, prosecutors said.

Under the terms of his plea deal, Dr. William Spencer, 55, who served Suffolk County’s 18th District, was sentenced to six months behind bars and three years of probation, according to the Suffolk County District’s Attorney’s Office.

Spencer was arrested in October 2020 after an encounter with an undercover police officer posing as a sex worker behind a Goodwill store in Commack.

The former Democratic lawmaker arranged the meeting over text message, where he agreed to “trade” oxycodone pills in exchange for sexual conduct, according to prosecutors.

Spencer was found to be in possession of two non-prescribed oxycodone pills during the sting operation that was conducted by Suffolk County police with the assistance of the DEA’s Long Island Heroin Task Force, officials said.

Spencer, who moonlighted as a well-regarded doctor and ordained minister, also lied to police in a sworn statement months before the arrest, according to officials.

He had filed a police complaint in July of 2020 claiming he was the innocent victim of a prostitution extortion scheme and wrote in a sworn statement to detectives: “I have not sought the services of prostitutes or call girls,” prosecutors said.

After his October arrest, an investigation revealed that Spencer had in fact hired hookers before — and lied about it to cops, a press release stated.

As part of the plea deal, the disgraced former Chief of Otolaryngology at Huntington Hospital also agreed to never again register as a physician with the Drug Enforcement Agency to prescribe controlled substances, officials said.

“This is a sad day. Dr. Spencer admitted to violating the laws he swore to uphold as an elected official and wasting police resources by lying in a sworn written statement,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney.

“No one is above the law, including elected officials who engage in criminal conduct. My Office is committed to the evenhanded administration of justice, and this guilty plea demonstrates that holding a political office is not a license to break the law.”

Spencer represented Huntington in the county legislature from 2012 until his term expired last year.

source: nypost.com