New York women sentenced following impaired driving crashes

Two separate incidents of impaired driving in New York have resulted in significant legal consequences for the drivers involved.

Kelyse Land of Valley Stream was sentenced to two to six years in prison following a July 2025 wrong-way crash on Hempstead Avenue. Land pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular assault, assault, and driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Prosecutors stated that Land, whose blood alcohol content was significantly above the legal limit, drove her vehicle into oncoming traffic, striking a BMW. The crash caused permanent injuries to the BMW's driver and a concussion to the passenger.

In a separate case, Nina Varrino of Glen Cove pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide, assault, and driving while impaired by drugs. Varrino admitted to striking a motorcycle on the Long Island Expressway while under the influence of cocaine and Xanax, an incident that killed a couple, Lisa and George Pelaez. Varrino is expected to be sentenced to between 7 and 21 years in prison in November.