A defense attorney says patients are standing by the Long Island heart doctor accused of hiring an undercover officer in a failed attempt to have his former medical partner hurt or killed.
Dr. Anthony J. Moschetto pleaded not guilty earlier this week to conspiracy and other charges and is accused of using drugs, guns and blank prescriptions to have the other doctor -- his former partner -- armed.
After a court appearance Friday, Moschetto's lawyer, Randy Zelin, said his client is concerned about his patients and wants to return to work as soon as prosecutors return his patients' health records. They were seized when authorities raided Moschetto's home on Long Island's Gold Coast on Tuesday.
"At this point I see no reason why we can't reach an agreement where those things he needs to be a doctor are going to be given back to him, because this is a man who is in the business of savings people's lives and I don't think anybody wants to get in the way of that," Zelin said. "My understanding is that overwhelmingly, if not every single one, of his patients want to continue to be his patients and they're worried about him."
Moschetto is accused of hiring an intermediary to have his former partner's office torched and -- when that fire resulted in only minor damage -- seeking someone to attack the man, prosecutors said. Moschetto allegedly said he would pay $5,000 to have the man beaten and $20,000 to have him killed and wanted the attack to happen in early May while he was out of town, prosecutors said. He was caught on video giving an undercover officer $500 in cash and three dozen blank prescriptions as a deposit, according to authorities.
Investigators found a cache of weapons, including dozens of knives, guns and a hand grenade, in a secret room that was accessed through a motorized bookcase. Authorities are still determining whether additional charges will be brought. Zelin claims the weapons are legal.
Three other men have also been charged and have all pleaded not guilty.
