Guilty plea in Hamptons prom party case

 


A Bridgehampton resident who worked with an alleged prom party promoter in the Hamptonspleaded guilty Friday in a Southampton courtroom to three misdemeanors and agreed to pay$35,000 in fines.

Leslie Jennemann, 54, was originally charged with more than 20 misdemeanor counts of rentinghomes without permits and other code violations. The guilty pleas were for the no-permitcharges.

She will pay $15,000 to Suffolk County Supreme Court and $20,000 to Southampton JusticeCourt. Last month, Jennemann was offered a plea deal calling for $50,000 in fines.

According to town officials, Jennemann worked with Lee Hnetinka, 25, whose family lives inLee Hnetinka Jericho. He has been charged with more than 120 counts related to parties at several Hamptons homes he rented, many times without the homeowners' permission or knowledge.

Hnetinka's business, Hamptons and Sons, allegedly rented the houses -- many of them in East Quogue, Noyack, Shinnecock Hills and Water Mill -- and hosted parties, including after-prom events, with as many as 100 young people in one home, according to the office of Town Attorney Tiffany Scarlato.

Hnetinka, released in September on $55,000 bail, has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is due back in court Nov. 1.

Typically, those attending prom parties, which can last from several hours through entire weekends, are high school seniors, officials said.

The homes are often overcrowded, against local codes and New York State code of occupancy rules, Scarlato said.

Lucy Sachs said Hnetinka rented her Amagansett house under the premise of having a family reunion and then used it for a prom party.

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