Post by tiredofwaiting on Feb 24, 2014 14:32:04 GMT -5
Gary Melius, the owner of Oheka Castle in Huntington, was shot Monday at the Gold Coast estate turned high-end hotel and catering hall, a high-level law enforcement source said.
Melius' condition was not immediately known, and no other details were immediately available.
Multiple Suffolk County police cars were at the scene, with one of them blocking the entrance to the catering hall. Police dogs were scouring the grounds.
A Suffolk police spokeswoman could not immediately confirm a shooting at Oheka Castle.
"Hearing this awful news, my thoughts and prayers are with Gary and his entire family," said Huntington Town Board member Susan Berland. "I hope for a full and compete speedy recovery. He is a wonderful person and a great humanitarian. I hope they catch the person who did this quickly and bring him to justice."
Melius, 69, who lives in the castle, has frequently opened his own wallet for political candidates of all parties. In the past decade, he and his wife, Pam, have donated more than $700,000 to local and state committees and, since the late 1990s, about $170,000 to federal campaigns, according to elections board records.
State records show that Melius typically donates to officials in power at the time, regardless of party. He gave Steve Levy $60,100 during his two terms as Suffolk County executive, from 2004-2011. This year, Melius gave Levy's successor, Democrat Steve Bellone, $25,000.
On the federal level, Melius and his wife have given Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford) $22,800, Rep. Steve Israel (D-Huntington) $18,200 and Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-Mineola) $14,700 since 2003.
Recently Melius found himself involved in the controversy involving Nassau police Commissioner Thomas Dale, making a phone call that triggered the events that led to the top cop's recent ouster.
Melius, who employs the Nassau Independence Party's executive director at Oheka Castle, may be best known for the cigar-smoke-filled poker games he hosts there. They feature a bipartisan roll of players culled from some 6,000 names in his address book, including former Republican Sen. Alfonse D'Amato and Steve Schlesinger, a Garden City attorney who represents Nassau Democrats in many matters.
Melius bought his first building from Hartman in 1975, but has said that his career took off after he borrowed $10,000 in 1979, just before Long Island's real estate boom, to build a Great Neck office complex. His company at one point owned more than a million square feet of buildings, but hit hard times in the early 1990s, when Melius recalled "rolling quarters" just to pay bills.
Oheka was in disrepair when Melius first got it. He sold it to a Japanese businessman for $22 million in 1988 and began leasing it back in 1993, reclaiming full ownership a decade later.
The Town of Huntington ultimately gave Melius the zoning change he needed to turn the venue into a full-service event hall. He estimates that he has put $40 million into the property, allowing it to attract guests from around the world and host weddings for celebrities such as one of the Jonas Brothers, and politicians including former Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner and his wife, Huma Abedin, a longtime aide to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Between frequent weddings and charity events, Oheka is also known for being a hangout for local power brokers. Besides the poker games, Melius has annual Super Bowl parties that blend his working-class roots with the luxuries of affluence: top-shelf liquor alongside White Castle hamburgers
Melius' condition was not immediately known, and no other details were immediately available.
Multiple Suffolk County police cars were at the scene, with one of them blocking the entrance to the catering hall. Police dogs were scouring the grounds.
A Suffolk police spokeswoman could not immediately confirm a shooting at Oheka Castle.
"Hearing this awful news, my thoughts and prayers are with Gary and his entire family," said Huntington Town Board member Susan Berland. "I hope for a full and compete speedy recovery. He is a wonderful person and a great humanitarian. I hope they catch the person who did this quickly and bring him to justice."
Melius, 69, who lives in the castle, has frequently opened his own wallet for political candidates of all parties. In the past decade, he and his wife, Pam, have donated more than $700,000 to local and state committees and, since the late 1990s, about $170,000 to federal campaigns, according to elections board records.
State records show that Melius typically donates to officials in power at the time, regardless of party. He gave Steve Levy $60,100 during his two terms as Suffolk County executive, from 2004-2011. This year, Melius gave Levy's successor, Democrat Steve Bellone, $25,000.
On the federal level, Melius and his wife have given Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford) $22,800, Rep. Steve Israel (D-Huntington) $18,200 and Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-Mineola) $14,700 since 2003.
Recently Melius found himself involved in the controversy involving Nassau police Commissioner Thomas Dale, making a phone call that triggered the events that led to the top cop's recent ouster.
Melius, who employs the Nassau Independence Party's executive director at Oheka Castle, may be best known for the cigar-smoke-filled poker games he hosts there. They feature a bipartisan roll of players culled from some 6,000 names in his address book, including former Republican Sen. Alfonse D'Amato and Steve Schlesinger, a Garden City attorney who represents Nassau Democrats in many matters.
Melius bought his first building from Hartman in 1975, but has said that his career took off after he borrowed $10,000 in 1979, just before Long Island's real estate boom, to build a Great Neck office complex. His company at one point owned more than a million square feet of buildings, but hit hard times in the early 1990s, when Melius recalled "rolling quarters" just to pay bills.
Oheka was in disrepair when Melius first got it. He sold it to a Japanese businessman for $22 million in 1988 and began leasing it back in 1993, reclaiming full ownership a decade later.
The Town of Huntington ultimately gave Melius the zoning change he needed to turn the venue into a full-service event hall. He estimates that he has put $40 million into the property, allowing it to attract guests from around the world and host weddings for celebrities such as one of the Jonas Brothers, and politicians including former Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner and his wife, Huma Abedin, a longtime aide to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Between frequent weddings and charity events, Oheka is also known for being a hangout for local power brokers. Besides the poker games, Melius has annual Super Bowl parties that blend his working-class roots with the luxuries of affluence: top-shelf liquor alongside White Castle hamburgers
