Posted on: October 14, 2026 06:30 AM

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Hempstead man sentenced to 21 years in prison for fatal DWI crash multiple burglaries other crimes

Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced that a Hempstead man was sentenced today for multiple crimes, including burglaries and robberies in 2021 and 2023, and a February 2024 DWI crash that killed one of his passengers.

Elvin Maradiaga Ortiz, 35, pleaded guilty on March 16, 2026, before Judge Howard Sturim to Burglary in the First Degree (a B violent felony); Robbery in the First Degree (a B violent felony); Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree (a B felony); Manslaughter in the Second Degree (a C felony); Leaving the Scene of an Incident Resulting in Death (a D felony); Driving While Intoxicated (an unclassified misdemeanor); Assault in the Third Degree (a class A misdemeanor); and Petit Larceny (a class A misdemeanor).

Additionally, Ortiz pleaded guilty on October 13, 2026, before Judge Howard Sturim to Intimidating a Victim or Witness in the Third Degree (an E felony).

Ortiz was sentenced today to 21 years in prison. NCDA recommended a sentence of 25 years in prison.

“Elvin Maradiaga Ortiz committed violent burglaries and robberies before doubling down on how little he valued human life by driving drunk, crashing the car, and abandoning his dying friend to evade responsibility,” said DA Donnelly. “Shortly after pleading guilty to these crimes, the defendant showed a continued disregard for the law by threatening a witness connected to the case. My office refused to let this intimidation stand and aggressively prosecuted the charge, securing an additional two years on his sentence. Now, this criminal is incapable of terrorizing our community and will answer for his violence behind bars for years to come.”

DA Donnelly said that on February 24, 2024, at approximately 5:10 a.m., the defendant was driving a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee westbound on Jerusalem Avenue in Uniondale while intoxicated. Ortiz had two passengers in his vehicle.

While traveling along Jerusalem Avenue, the defendant drove off the roadway, causing the vehicle to strike a pole and flip over. After the collision, the defendant fled the scene on foot, leaving his backseat passenger, 35-year-old Alex Banegas Figueroa, unconscious in the Jeep.

Figueroa was transported to Nassau University Medical Center after the crash and was pronounced deceased one week later on March 1, 2024.

A subsequent investigation revealed that the defendant drank multiple alcoholic beverages over the course of several hours at a local bar prior to the collision.

During the investigation into the fatal crash, prosecutors connected Ortiz to several previously committed crimes using a DNA sample, belonging to the defendant, recovered from the scene and GPS evidence.

On August 5, 2021, the defendant broke into a second-floor apartment in a home in Elmont and stole a safe containing $20,000 from a bedroom closet.

The homeowner, who was asleep inside another part of the house, heard noises coming from the apartment and back of the house. Upon investigation, he found three men, including the defendant, wearing dark clothes, hoodies, and face masks.

One of the men threatened to shoot the homeowner if he moved. The victim went back inside of the home, and the men ran off.

Police reviewed video footage from the front and backyard of the home that showed three men wearing masks arriving at the property and then running away with a large box.

Video footage from a home a block over from the crime scene captured the men entering a vehicle. Police later recovered a pair of gloves, a face mask, and a t-shirt in front of that residence. Prosecutors subsequently matched the defendant’s DNA to a DNA sample found on the mask recovered at that location.

In another incident, on August 12, 2021, the defendant stole jewelry from an apartment in Floral Park, including three watches, a diamond engagement ring, and a white gold necklace.

The investigation also revealed that in 2023, the defendant broke into a West Hempstead home around 4:00 a.m. The victim opened his bedroom door to go to the bathroom and saw the defendant and others dressed in black and wearing masks.

The individuals, armed with weapons, pushed the victim back into the bedroom and threw him to the floor. The victim was held at gunpoint as they ripped three gold necklaces from the victim’s neck and a gold bracelet from his wrist.

As a result of the robbery, the victim sustained injuries to his forehead, arms, and the back of his neck.

An extensive video search uncovered footage at the end of the street that showed three men getting out of a dark-colored sedan and additional videos backtracked the sedan to Hempstead where the defendant was seen getting into the vehicle.

At the time of the crimes in 2021, 2023, and 2024, the defendant had been wearing an ankle monitoring device that tracked his location following an arrest by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2020. GPS records corroborated the defendant’s presence at each of the scenes.

The investigation also revealed that in 2019, the defendant sold cocaine to another individual in Hempstead.

The defendant was arrested by members of the Nassau County Police Department on March 21, 2024.

From DA