2012
ULSTER COUNTY
DISTRICT ATTORNEY
ANNUAL REPORT
The District Attorney is an independently elected public
official. The District Attorney has the
sole responsibility for the prosecution of all crimes and offenses which occur
within the geographic confines of Ulster
County.
DEPARTMENT MISSION STATEMENT
The simple fact is that public safety and economic
prosperity go hand in hand. One cannot
exist without the other. For us to
prosper as a community, our citizens must be safe.
BUDGET
In 2012 the Ulster County District Attorney budget was
$2,437,895.00, of this total $2,032,442.00 was for personnel expenses.
COLLABORATION WITH OTHER COUNTY DEPARTMENTS OR OUTSIDE AGENCIES
The Department of Social Services: Investigation and prosecution
of social services fraud, prosecution of deadbeat child support obligators.
Police agencies: We work hand in hand with all police
agencies that serve the people of Ulster County in training, investigations and
prosecution of all criminal behavior committed in Ulster County.
State agencies: We collaborate with NYS Department of Tax
and Finance, the NYS Comptroller’s Office and the NYS Attorney General’s
Office.
Federal agencies: We work with the US Attorney’s Office and
all federal agencies that assist them, to wit, the US Marshalls, the FBI,
Customs and Immigration, Secret Service and AUSA.
2012 IN REVIEW
In 2012 we filed 245 indictments, a 60% increase from
2011. We conducted 25 felony jury trials,
the highest number in modern times.
During the course of 2012 the Ulster County Court Standard and Goals
felony trial calendar was reduced by half. Statistics, however, only begin to
represent the accomplishments of this office.
In 2012 we handed up indictments in the largest undercover
drug sweep in Ulster County’s history. Each indictment contained at least one
Class B felony. Of the 80 indictments,
one case was reduced for the purpose of a plea and in one case there was a jury
acquittal. All other 78 indictments resulted in top count convictions, with
sentences that ranged up to 15 years in State Prison.
CARP (Crime Against Revenue): $758,376.00 in
restitution/forfeiture was ordered to be paid to state and local governmental
agencies. Of that sum $309,126.00 in restitution was collected and paid to
state and local governmental agencies. In addition, $529,138.00 in savings for
state and local governmental agencies due to disqualifications from future
benefits was garnered.
People v Timothy Matthews. A former
detective/lieutenant of the Kingston Police Department, Matthews was convicted
and sentenced to 3-9 years in State Prison and ordered to pay $212,000.00
restitution.
People v Joshua Thompson. Thompson became the first
Ulster County prosecution on the new Domestic Violence Strangulation
Statute. He was convicted and sentenced
to 5 years in State Prison.
People v George Feist. Feist was convicted of Rape and Criminal
Sexual Acts against an infant. He was
sentenced to 25 years in State Prison.
People v Kanwarjit Singh and Surinder Kumar, welfare
fraud. Singh was sentenced to 4-12 years
in State Prison and $325,000.00 from restitution and forfeiture sums was
returned to Ulster County taxpayers.
People v Rondy Russ. Russ was the last co-conspirator
in the conspiracy to commit murder, Sex/Money/Murder gang prosecution. He was convicted and sentenced to 6 years in
State Prison.
People v Shawn Tyler.
Tyler was convicted of Murder in the first degree for the bludgeoning
death of his landlord in the Town of Hurley.
He was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
People v Jarrin Rankin. Rankin had previously been convicted and
sentenced on the Sex/Money/Murder/Conspiracy indictment. In 2012 he was convicted of Criminal
Possession of a Weapon and sentenced to serve an additional 15 years,
consecutive to his conspiracy sentence.
People v Matthew Taggard. Taggard, the former police chief in the Town
of Ulster, was investigated, charged, and convicted of Official Misconduct
involving allegations of sordid sexual activity with minor boys. He was removed
from office and given a one year conditional discharge.
People v Terrance Peterson. Peterson was convicted
of Burglary and Strangulation in one of
our leading domestic violence prosecutions.
He was sentenced to 15 years.
People v Novick and Streb. The bank robbers in the
Sawyer Savings Bank robbery were convicted and sentenced to the maximum state
prison sentence allowed.
People v Gary Watkins, a/k/a “B War”, the “Kingpin”
of the 80 indictment drug investigation known as Operation Clean Sweep was convicted
and sentenced to 15 years in State Prison.
People v Brian Densmore. Densmore was convicted and
sentenced to 17 years in State Prison for the rape of four Kingston middle
school children.
CONCLUSION
2012 continued an unfortunate trend of increased felony jury
trials. Although the office boasts an
extraordinary conviction success rate the sheer volume of felony prosecutions
and, in particular, felony trials, places a strain on the men and women who
work here.
Looking ahead. The violent crime in Kingston decreased in
2012 by 24.7%. Notably, robberies in Kingston decreased by 41.2%. Overall, violent crime in Ulster County
decreased by over 21%. For the first time since I have been the District
Attorney, I believe we have stemmed the scourge of gang violence that had been
migrating into our county from New York City. We are trained and focused to
continue that battle. Our work against
domestic violence will remain a primary focus going forward into 2013.
