Below is a collection of 12 of my investigative and enterprise stories. Over the years, my work has focused public attention on a wide array of public issues and produced tangible results for people.

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Investigation and Accountability

Reporter/Photographer — Long Island Advocate, 2022-2023.
Here are four parts of a multi-stage investigation, undertaken with WABC Eyewitness News, into labor injustices affecting undocumented restaurant workers. Each piece was part of a nine-month investigation into wage theft and other labor abuses in the restaurant industry. Multi-source reporting and court document analysis spurred the New York State Department of Labor to act, helping to secure a $375,000 settlement for eight workers.

Rockville Centre restaurateur wrapped up in a string of wage-violation lawsuits

NYC historic landmark sits vacant years after dining megavenue’s collapse

Manuel Oliva spoke on behalf of eight Nick’s Pizza workers at the Workplace Project in Hempstead in July 2022. Nicholas J. Angelis, the one-time owner of Nick’s Pizza in Rockville Centre, owed the workers more than $400,000 in back wages and interest charges, according to two court judgments. Following a nine-month *Long Island Advocate*/WABC *Eyewitness News* investigative series, the workers settled with Angelis for $375,000, which they received in monthly installments. // Photo by Scott A. Brinton/Long Island Advocate

Former Nick’s Pizza owner reaches $375K settlement with workers

Supporting Documents

Above are samples of Nick’s Pizza payroll records and the New York State Department of Labor’s investigation report obtained through multiple Freedom of Information Law requests. Such filings, spanning 592 pages, confirmed workers’ unpaid overtime claims.

Social Justice

Reporter/Photographer — Herald Community Newspapers, 2019.
Investigated racial disparities in Nassau County’s maternal healthcare systems and the growing advocacy efforts challenging these inequities.

Sharelle Allen, 31, of STRONG Youth in Uniondale, who said in 2019 that her birthing pains were ignored by doctors, a concern held by many Black women across the U.S. // Photo by Scott A. Brinton/Herald Community Newspapers

Page design by the author.

Trauma and Resiliency

Reporter/Photographer — Herald Community Newspapers, 2015.
Reported on the physical and emotional toll that Long Island 9/11 rescue workers faced as they endured life-threatening illness and complex government benefit systems a decade and a half after their service.

Scott Resnick, who in 2015 was president of the Bellmore-Merrick Emergency Medical Services, was diagnosed with kidney cancer that year, a result of his service at Ground Zero in the days and weeks after the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. // Photo by Scott A. Brinton/Herald Community Newspapers

Page design by the author.

Reporter/Photographer — Herald Community Newspapers, 2018.
Chronicled the experiences of two Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students who survived the 2018 Parkland mass shooting, drawing on in-depth interviews to document their escape and healing.

Page design by the author.

Health and the Environment

Reporter/Photographer/Videographer — Herald Community Newspapers, 2016.
Investigated the spread of toxic groundwater plumes in Wantagh and Seaford and the long-term environmental and public health risks posed by industrial contamination.

Video by Scott A. Brinton/Herald Community Newspapers

Page design by the author.

Reporter/Photographer — Herald Community Newspapers, 2010.

Reported this two-part investigation during the start of Long Island’s opioid crisis, examining methadone maintenance as a long-term treatment for heroin addiction.

Page design by the author.

Disaster Recovery and Housing

Reporter/Photographer — Herald Community Newspapers, 2013-2015.
Examined widespread insurance delays after Superstorm Sandy, helping to focus public attention on an issue that cried out for federal action.