Suffolk Legis. William Spencer arraigned on indictment charging him with drugs, prostitution and

Suffolk Legis. William Spencer arraigned on indictment charging him with drugs, prostitution and other crimes


Suffolk County Legis. William Spencer, accused of trying to swap opioids for sex last year, was charged with lying to investigators as well as drug- and prostitution-related crimes in a newly unsealed indictment.

Prosecutors said Spencer (D-Centerport) lied to investigators in July 2020 when he told police that he was the target of an extortion plot by somebody purporting to be a pimp.

Spencer, 54, told police in a two-page written statement regarding the alleged extortion plot that he had never sought the services of a sex worker — a few months before he was arrested for attempting to swap drugs for sex.

Spencer, an ear, nose and throat specialist who served on the county’s heroin and opiate epidemic advisory panel, was released on his own recognizance by Suffolk Supreme Court Justice John B. Collins during an arraignment on the charges Monday in Riverhead. Collins ordered Spencer to return to court on Dec. 8.

Read more: https://www.newsday.com/long-island/crime/suffolk-county-lawmaker-arraignment-1.50415155