CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. — A Long Island lawmaker who is also a doctor has been arrested on drug charges after he tried to trade pills for sex, authorities said.
Suffolk County Legislator William Spencer was arrested Tuesday on charges of third-degree sale of a controlled substance and third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. Newsday reports that he pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Wednesday at First District Court in Central Islip.
Prosecutors said Spencer, an ear, nose and throat doctor, had a relationship with a prostitute whom he paid with the opioid oxycodone.
They said a federal drug agent who had taken possession of the woman’s phone answered a text from Spencer and arranged to meet the legislator on Tuesday.
Spencer had two oxycodone pills, condoms and a handgun when he was arrested, prosecutors said. They said he had a permit that allowed him to own the gun but not to carry it.
Spencer was released on his own recognizance after he surrendered his passport. His attorney, Mark Goidell, said his client “dedicated his life to the well-being of the community, his family and his patients,” adding, “Nothing in these charges diminishes those contributions.”
The impact of the criminal charges on Spencer’s future as a legislator was not immediately clear. County law does not require a legislator to step down following an arrest.
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