The Nassau County Executive has been cleared by police in Long Island after it emerged that sext messages had been sent from his phone number to the cell number of PR executive Karin Murphy Caro.
When first confronted about the messages by CBS New York, Ed Mangano, a married father of two,said he’d been targeted by “political opponents, I don’t know, a warped individual. I don’t know. … This is hack job or a hoax and it is very damaging and I will not stand for it and it will be turned over to the police.”
The New York Post reported on February 25 that police in Long Island said the texts were sent via a hack and not directly from Mangano. The tabloid’s story noted that cops in Nassau County “shot down speculation that Nassau cops were not capable of conducting a fair investigation into Mangano because of his close ties to the department.” A detective also told the media that “he personally warned Mangano not to lie to him about the incident during his probe.”
Meanwhile, on her Facebook page, Caro released a statement saying that she has a “professional relationship” with Mangano and nothing more. Caro adds that she’s been “maliciously attacked” and that she’s “going through a trying period in [her] life regarding abuse and attacks.” In the comments section for her statement, Mangano’s brother, John, left a comment saying, “My brother is the most ethical man I know. This is a sick crime committed against both you and Ed. As well as our family. Thank you for you outspoken support and I hope for swift justice to this crime.”
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Her Husband Says She’s Been Having an Affair, But Not With Mangano
(Facebook)
In an interview with the New York Post, Caro’s estranged husband, Alexander Caro, said that she had an affair but not with Mangano. Alex Caro added that he and his wife are going through a divorce. He did not identify the her lover. He says that Mangano came into contact with Caro through Oheka Castle owner Gary Melius, who was shot in the face in 2014. Alex Caro told the Post:
These were people I didn’t really want to do business with. And she went and got a contract without a public bid, which was a bad idea because they didn’t go through the normal bidding process.
How she was able to get it, I really don’t know, but it wasn’t right.
The couple have four children together. In a 2011 interview, Caro said that she and her husband started their first business together in 2003. A 2012 Patch article on the couple called them “serial entrepreneurs.”
2. She’s the Founder of a Long Island Society & Gossip Website
According to her LinkedIn page, Caro founded her PR firm Blu Chip in March 2010. Since then, she’s expanded the company into a marketing and society magazine company. In a 2011 interview, Caro said that she had organized New York’s first same-sex wedding. At the time of that interview, Caro said she employed 1,000 people.
She’s the president of the company. Caro resides in Smithtown, Long Island, and attended Nassau Community College. Caro primarily uses her Twitter page to post inspirational quotes. Caro was New York state’s ballroom dancing champion in 1996.
Newsday reports that Caro’s PR firm has received contracts from Nassau County in the past. Meanwhile the New York Post says that in 2013, Caro’s Blu Chip firm got a $24,500 contract from Nassau County and a $24,000 contract in 2014. Nassau County Spokesman Brian Nevin told the tabloid that Mangano “never had any conversations regarding these contracts.”
3. She Denies Sending the Tweet Regarding Mangano That Read, ‘My Fear Was Abandonment. His Fear Was Exposure. This How We Settle’
(Instagram)
In a statement to CBS New York, Caro said:
To be clear, the alleged text messages and tweets are fabricated, false and never happened. I never communicated with the county executive via text message, nor even have his cellphone number. Both the Nassau County Executive and I have been maliciously attacked and have both been victims of a terrible crime.
According to CBS New York, one of the text messages that was sent from Caro’s phone number appeared on her Twitter page, it read, “My fear was abandonment. His fear was exposure. This is how we settle.” She reiterated to the network that her account had been hacked. Mangano said he first became aware of the hacking on February 4, according to his official website.
One message from Mangano’s phone number allegedly read, “I meant I hope you never stop loving me. If you woke up one day and didn’t love me anymore, my world would end… I’d go crazy not having you.” While one from Caro’s number read, “I want you to **** my brains out even if it’s in my car again.”
FBI Security Expert Manny Gomez Manny Gomez told CBS New York:
Common sense dictates that if they’re having a conversation about an intimate moment in one of their vehicles where only they two would know about and they continue having that conversation as if the occurrence really happened, then that doesn’t seem to me like it’s an act of hacking or spoofing.
Meanwhile, Mangano has been steadfast saying the allegations that he was sexting are a “bold faced lie.”
4. She Was Arrested in June 2015 & Charged With ‘Criminal Contempt’
(Instagram)
During the summer of 2015, Caro was arrested in Centereach, Long Island, “on a charge of first degree criminal contempt,” reports Patch. That offense is “generally regarded” as being disobedient or disrespecting the court.
5. Mangano’s Wife Is the Editor of the Bethpage Tribune
Linda Mangano, pictured with her husband in December 2010. (Facebook)
Mangano’s official profile details that he lives in Bethpage, Long Island, with his wife, Linda, and their two sons. Online records show that Linda Mangano is the editor of the Bethpage Tribune. Their son, Alex, began studying law at St. John’s University in August 2015.