NY Heart doctor tried to have rival killed

Mineola, New York (AP) — A Long Island heart doctor had another doctor’s office torched, then hired people who turned out to be undercover officers in a failed attempt to have him hurt or killed, authorities said Wednesday.

Dr Anthony J Moschetto allegedly used drugs, guns and blank prescriptions as currency while trying to have the other heart doctor harmed amid a professional dispute, investigators said.

Investigators who went to his home in Sands Point on Long Island’s Gold Coast — one of the nation’s wealthiest areas — found a weapons cache in a secret room that was accessed through a motorized bookshelf, they said.

The investigation started with the purchase of Oxycodone pills, heroin and two fully loaded assault weapons, according to Acting Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas.

Moschetto was awaiting arraignment Wednesday on conspiracy and other charges. Information on his attorney was not immediately available. Two other defendants are charged in the case; they’re accused of involvement in the office fire, which occurred before the undercover investigation began.

“Dr Moschetto is a hidden monster living in the North Shore area who has no respect for law and life,” said Nassau County Police Department Acting Commissioner Thomas Krumpter.

The Drug Enforcement Administration also was involved in the investigation, which began in December. The suspects were arrested Tuesday.