A Staten Island man will be arraigned before the federal court in Brooklyn for allegedly shooting his ex-girlfriend this past spring, prosecutors announced Tuesday.
Steven Molinaro, 33, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, attempted obstruction of justice, and conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana. It was confirmed by officials that Molinaro is the grandson of former Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro.
According to court documents, on April 27, Molinaro — who is a convicted felon — allegedly shot his ex-girlfriend in the chest inside his Lyman Avenue home on Staten Island. After allegedly shooting the victim, Molinaro called 911 and reported that the victim accidentally shot herself in an effort to mislead law enforcement.
When police arrived at the home, Molinaro was allegedly there with a co-conspirator and the victim was in the master bedroom of the home, next to a pool of blood, with a bullet wound in her chest. She was rushed to an area hospital for emergency surgery. Back at the scene, Molinaro allegedly lied and said that the victim had been shot by a different ex-boyfriend. Molinaro also allegedly told police that he called 911 an hour after the victim was shot.
Prior to law enforcement’s arrival at Molinaro’s home, Molinaro allegedly ran to a neighbor’s trash can with a black trash bag, discarded the trash bag in the neighbor’s trash can, and then ran back in the direction of his house. In the black back, police allegedly found a loaded Ruger 9mm firearm with one 9mm Luger cartridge in the chamber and another loose 9mm Luger cartridge. In that bag, allegedly there were also envelopes containing Molinaro’s name and address. DNA testing on the gun allegedly confirmed the presence of Molinaro’s DNA to a very significant degree of probability, and the firearm also matched a shell casing found in the room where the victim was shot.
Video surveillance allegedly shows that no one other than Molinaro or the co-conspirator entered or left the house during the crime, allegedly showing that Molinaro lied to police. Following her surgery, the victim allegedly identified Molinaro as the shooter.
At the home, police allegedly uncovered approximately 43 kilograms of marijuana, a vacuum sealer, clear bags, a money counter, and a scale with drug residue on it, as well as $161,000 in cash. The co-conspirator allegedly was seen on surveillance footage attempting to hide some of the cash in a doghouse on the property.
Molinaro had previously been convicted of felony charges of assault and riot in 2006. In 2016, Molinaro was also convicted in connection to multiple drug charges. Molinaro pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on Aug. 23 and is temporarily being held without bail.
Updated at 3:46 p.m. on Aug. 23, 2022.
