Pal Says Attorney/Prosecutor Skated From Two DWIs

Prosecutor Jennifer Troiano skated from two DWI, she told her pal
The New York Daily News by Kevin Deutsch  -  August 26, 2011
Jennifer Troiano, who was busted for DWI on Aug. 26, wriggled out of previous arrests in 2004 and 2006, court records show.

Embattled Bronx prosecutor Jennifer Troiano told her lawyer's daughter that she skirted two previous drunk driving arrests, the Daily News has learned.  The private admission to her pal will likely become public after prosecutors said they would call the woman to testify about her conversation with Troiano, court records show.  "Amy Weiswasser will be able to testify to specific admissions made to her by the defendant, both about alcohol consumption ... and two prior incidents," Assistant District Attorney Erin LaFarge, a special prosecutor brought in from Manhattan, said during a court appearance Monday.   Prosecutors also called on Judge William McGuire to remove defense lawyer Howard Weiswasser from the case, since his daughter will be their star witness.  The hastily called court appearance on Monday was an effort to shield Troiano from the glare of the media, a source said. It was originally scheduled for yesterday.  Troiano, who was busted for DWI on Aug. 26, wriggled out of previous arrests in 2004 and 2006, court records show. Troiano tried to get out of her August arrest by telling Officer Elliot Zinstein he should call Nestor Ferreiro, chief of narcotics in the Bronx district attorney's office, sources said.  "He'll take care of this," sources quoted her as saying. "He took care of it the last time."  Prosecutors also said Troiano dodged a DWI charge in 2004 after drunkenly crashing a Bronx district attorney's office vehicle. As first reported by The News, Troiano wrecked the car upstate while a detective assigned to her office was asleep in the passenger seat.  "There are no further witnesses that could testify specifically to [the incidents]," LaFarge said, emphasizing the importance of Amy Weiswasser's testimony. "She is one of the few witnesses who has been intimately close friends with the defendant."  Howard Weiswasser argued the prior incidents were not relevant to the current case and accused prosecutors of improperly targeting him.  "Their actions appear to be for some strategic advantage to knock me off this case," Howard Weiswasser said, according to a court transcript. "Ms. Troiano would very much like me to continue on."  A judge will rule Sept. 12 on whether Howard Weiswasser's involvement in the case is a conflict of interest.  kdeutsch@nydailynews.com