D.A. defends handling of rape charges against trainer

By Terence Corcoran, Lee Higgins and Michael Risinit, (Westchester County, N.Y.) Journal News | NationalDesk

Putnam County District Attorney Adam Levy stated Monday that his actions were lawful and ethical in his handling of rape charges against his live-in personal trainer but continued to refuse to provide any details about his relationship to the suspect.

"As I have stated from the outset, upon hearing the news that Alexander Hossu, who my family had known for years, was charged and arrested, I immediately turned over the case to the Westchester County District Attorney's Office," Levy said in a brief, two-paragraph statement released at 6:15 p.m. Monday.

Levy, who is feuding with Putnam County Sheriff Donald Smith, went on to say, "Despite Sheriff Smith's unfounded allegations and misstatements, the facts will show my office acted properly in every aspect of the investigation."

Smith has charged that Levy has tried to use his office to influence the investigation. He's asked federal officials to probe whether Levy broke laws by aiding Hossu, a 35-year-old illegal Romanian immigrant charged with raping a 12-year-old girl.

Levy repeated that he and his family remain available for questioning by the Westchester DA's office but seemed to indicate he would like other inquiries to go away.

"Now, I need to continue to concentrate my efforts on the work that I was elected to do by the people of Putnam County as its District Attorney," he said.

Meanwhile, additional information emerged Monday about Hossu's history in the United States. He was hired June 17, 2000 to work as a camp counselor at Hillside Camp at Green Chimneys in Patterson, N.Y., and stayed there until his work visa expired Sept. 24, 2001, Green Chimneys spokeswoman Jennifer Milillo said.

"He has not been heard from or seen since then," she said.

"We hired Alex through CampUSA for Hillside the summer of 2000 and 2001 under the J1 visa program. He was reported to be a hard worker with no negative reviews or incidents," said Joseph Whalen, Green Chimneys executive director.

Hossu also married and divorced his former business partner and at some point, according to law enforcement officials, obtained and held onto a valid New York state driver's license and a social security number.

Officials at the Social Security Administration and the state Department of Motor Vehicles said individuals entering the country legally, such as through a visa, can be eligible for both a license and social security number, although they are generally not entitled to social security benefits if their status becomes illegal.

Levy said on Thursday that Hossu moved out of Levy's million-dollar home six months ago but on Friday would not restate that chronology. Instead, he offered two other addresses for Hossu — one a restaurant, the other a former campaign office for state Sen. Greg Ball, R-Patterson.

Levy has said he had no idea that Hossu was here illegally although a relative of the 12-year-old said Saturday the personal trainer was open about his immigration status and that he worked for the district attorney.

Hossu and Corey Wallis Smith, both personal trainers, married Dec. 29, 2006, in Keene, N.Y., a small town in the Adirondacks, the year after they formed Livewell Fitness Inc. in New Milford, Conn.

She filed for divorce March 18, 2009, in Litchfield, Conn., after the marriage broke down "irretrievably" and the divorce was finalized Aug. 19, 2009, records show. The couple didn't have children.

On Oct. 24, 2010, a little more than a year after the divorce was finalized, Putnam County sheriff's deputies say Hossu "forcibly and violently" raped the girl twice in a three-hour span, putting his hands around her throat and forcing her down onto a bed. Hossu knew the alleged victim.

Divorce records obtained by The Journal News show that a mortgage at the New Milford, N.Y., home where the couple was living prior to the divorce and two car loans were under Smith's name.

Smith kept the house with the $176,800 mortgage, and the couple each took a car. Smith kept the 2005 Nissan XTerra with roughly $8,000 owed, and Hossu took the 2008 Honda Civic with $20,678 owed, promising to take full responsibility.

She had retirement savings — $8,000 in an IRA and $5,000 in a 401(k) account, while he owed $13,100 on a credit card, records show.

When Hossu was served divorce papers April 1, 2009, at a World Gym where he was working, he was living in Bethel, N.Y., records show. Neither had an attorney for the divorce proceedings, but the couple used a mediator.

Visited at her current personal training business in New Milford on Saturday, Smith, 41, referred questions to her attorney, Jay Hogan of Southeast. Hogan declined to comment when reached by phone Monday morning.

Hossu is charged with two counts of first-degree rape and is due in Southeast Town Court April 2. A felony hearing in the case for 2 p.m. on Tuesday, though the Southeast Town Court lists no attorney of record for him.

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Contributing: Staff writers Jorge Fitz-Gibbon, Tim Henderson, Marcela Rojas and Erik Shilling.