Press Release - Wise Giving

TO: MEDIA

FROM: HOLLEY CARNRIGHT

DATE: NOVEMBER 17, 2016

RE: PRESS RELEASE – WISE GIVING

The Ulster County District Attorney’s Division of Consumer Affairs advises donors to consult www.give.org/charity-reviews/national before contributing to national charities. This is the website for the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance (WGA). The Alliance helps donors make informed giving decisions by providing Charity Reports and advances high standards of conduct among organizations that solicit contributions from the public through its Accountability Standards. While it’s the donors’ decision, WGA recommends they avoid or be extremely cautious when contributing to nondisclosure charities. Charities that do not provide WGA with any of the requested information needed to complete the charity evaluations are called nondisclosure charities. While this could be benign, some of these charities could also be hiding something by choosing not to disclose. Consumer Affairs can be reached at 340-3260.

Press Release - Vincent Giammichele Appeal

PRESS RELEASE

TO:       ALL NEWS MEDIA

FROM:     HOLLEY CARNRIGHT, DISTRICT ATTORNEY

DATE:     NOVEMBER 17, 2016

The Appellate Division, Third Department has today unanimously affirmed the June, 2013 conviction of Vincent Giammichele upon his plea of guilty of the crime of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree, a class B felony.

Defendant’s conviction arises as a result of a series of crack cocaine sales he made to a confidential informant in Napanoch, and Wawarsing in March and April, 2012.  In full satisfaction of an indictment which charged him with multiple counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, defendant pled guilty to one count of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree in exchange for a promised sentence of seven years conditioned upon him not committing any additional offenses prior to sentencing.  Before sentencing, however, defendant was arrested and charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and possession of prison contraband in the second degree. 

At sentencing, after he admitted he had violated one of the conditions of his plea, County Court (Donald A. Williams, J.) sentenced defendant, a second felony offender, to an eight year State prison term to be followed by two years of postrelease supervision and ordered him to pay $500 in restitution. 

On appeal, defendant argued that his plea was invalid because he was not sufficiently apprised of his rights. He also argued that the Court erred in imposing an enhanced sentence because he was not specifically advised of the maximum term of imprisonment he faced if he violated the terms and conditions of his plea.  These claims were, however, rejected by the Appellate Division, Third Department.  

On appeal, the defendant is represented by Brian M. Callahan, Esq. of Schenectady, New York.  Assistant District Attorney Joan Gudesblatt Lamb, Esq. handled the appeal for the District Attorney’s Office.

Press Release - Gregory C. Williams

Ulster County District Attorney’s Office

Family and Child Advocacy Center

PRESS RELEASE

The Ulster County District Attorney’s Office, Family and Child Advocacy Center, which is comprised of Investigators from the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office, Ulster County Sheriff’s Office and New York State Police, reports the arrest of Gregory C. Williams, 38,  of the City of Kingston.

On December 9^th, 2015,  the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office Family and Child Advocacy Center began  investigating a report that a 16 year old female was being sexually abused and prostituted in the Ulster County area.  The investigation developed evidence that 38 year old Gregory C. Williams was in a sexual relationship with the 16 year old minor and that he was Trafficking her as a prostitute in Ulster County, Long Island, and Virginia.

On November 9, 2016, Gregory C. Williams was charged with Disseminating Indecent Material to a Minor in the Second Degree, a Class E Felony, and Promoting Prostitution in the Third Degree, a Class C Felony, and Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree, a Class E Felony.  He was arraigned in the City of Kingston Court before Honorable Kirschner and remanded to Ulster County Jail in lieu of $50,000.00 Cash bail.  An Order of Protection was issued on behalf of the victim.  The investigation is ongoing and additional charges may be filed.  

The Ulster County District Attorney’s Office Family and Child Advocacy Center Investigators were assisted by members of the City of Kingston Police Department and Investigators from the Chesapeake Virginia Robbery Squad.      

Press Release - Caller ID and Spoofing

FROM: HOLLEY CARNRIGHT

DATE: NOVEMBER 7, 2016

RE: PRESS RELEASE – CALLER ID AND SPOOFING

Caller Identification (“Caller ID”) allows you to identify a caller before you answer your telephone. However, Caller ID service is susceptible to fraud, according to the Ulster County District Attorney’s Division of Consumer Affairs. Using a practice known as “spoofing”, callers can deliberately falsify the telephone number and/or name relayed as the Caller ID information to disguise the identity of the calling party.  Consumer Affairs suggests the following:

·       Don’t give out personal information in response to an incoming call. Identity thieves often pose as representatives of banks, credit card companies, utilities, creditors or government agencies (such as the IRS) to get people to reveal their personal financial information.

·       If you get an inquiry from a company or government agency seeking such information, don’t provide it. Instead, hang up and call the number on your account statement or the company’s or government agency’s website to find out if the entity that supposedly called you actually needs the requested information.

·       Please let the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) know about ID spoofers by calling 1-888-CALL-FCC or filing a complaint at www.fcc.gov/complaints.

Consumer Affairs can be reached at 340-3260.

                                                                     

Press Release - Kevin Guerrero Indictment

FROM: HOLLEY CARNRIGHT

DATE: NOVEMBER 3, 2016

RE: PRESS RELEASE - DISTRICT ATTORNEY D. HOLLEY CARNRIGHT ANNOUNCES INDICTMENT OF INTRUDER IN BURGLARIES OF SUNY NEW PALTZ STUDENTS

An Ulster County Grand Jury handed up an indictment Thursday, November 3, 2016, charging Lance Corporal Kevin Guerrero, 20, of the United States Marines stationed in New Windsor, Orange County, with 3 counts of Burglary in the Second Degree, 1 count of Attempted Burglary in the Second Degree, Burglary in the Third Degree and Sexual Abuse in the First Degree.  Guerrero is accused of unlawfully entering 3 off campus student residences with intent to commit a crime inside and attempting to unlawfully enter a fourth with the intent to commit a crime inside.  He is also accused of unlawfully entering a local business with intent to commit a crime inside and subjecting a person to sexual contact in one of the residences while that person was asleep.     

All offenses are alleged to have occurred in the early morning hours of September 4, 2016 in the Village of New Paltz.  Occupants of all residences were sleeping at the time of Guerrero’s entry.  Guerrero was arrested on September 7, 2016, following an investigation by the New Paltz Police Department. 

This indictment replaces an Indictment handed up last week for Sexual Abuse in the First Degree.  Carnright stated that the prior Indictment was handed up for the sole purpose of statutory deadlines for a person who is incarcerated.  He expects this Indictment will conclude the Grand Jury’s examination into this matter.    

Special Victims Bureau, Chief Katherine R. Van Loan, is handling the case for the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office.  The defendant is represented by the Ulster County Public Defender’s Office.