Community Corner

Report: School Board Member Steals Man's ID, Makes 'False Claims' On Same-Sex Sites

A former "friend" stole a Mamaroneck man's identity and shared lewd photographs of him online, according to officials.

A Mahopac school board member—Earle Bellows– is accused of stealing a Mamaroneck man’s identity on various same-sex dating websites and making false statements about him, according to a report in The Journal News.

Bellows spread rumors about Jared Levin—who was once his friend, according to the paper—and made false claims of kinky sex, statements that Levin was HIV-positive and shared lewd photos of him, according to filings in a defamation case, The Journal News wrote.

According to the article, Bellows is a retired Putnam Valley police officer and a married father of two. He was named in court papers this week. Bellows created fake online profiles using Levin’s email, name and other personal information.

The profiles began appearing online in 2009, after "the petitioner ceased relations with an individual," according to court filings, and the profile eventually appeared on at least five sites, the paper wrote.

In court papers, Levin is named as "John Doe" but his identity was revealed to The Journal News on Thursday by Mahopac school board President Raymond Cote.

To read the entire article on The Journal News, click here.


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