Press Release - Fraudulent Ebola Treatment Products

FROM: HOLLEY CARNRIGHT

DATE: OCTOBER 21, 2014

RE: PRESS RELEASE -  CONSUMERS WARNED ABOUT FRAUDULENT EBOLA TREATMENT PRODUCTS

The Ulster County District Attorney’s Division of Consumer Affairs is advising consumers to be aware of products sold online claiming to prevent or treat the Ebola virus. Since the outbreak of the virus in West Africa, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has seen and received consumer complaints about a variety of products claiming to either prevent the Ebola virus or treat the infection.

There are currently no FDA- approved vaccines or drugs to prevent or treat Ebola. Although there are experimental Ebola vaccines and treatments under development, these investigational products are in the early stages of product development, have not yet been fully tested for safety or effectiveness, and the supply is very limited. There are no approved vaccines, drugs or products specifically for Ebola available for purchase on the Internet. By law, dietary supplements cannot claim to prevent or cure disease.

Consumers who have seen these fraudulent products or false claims are encouraged to report them to the FDA at www.fda.gov/Safety/ReportaProblem/ucm059315.htm.

Consumer Affairs can be reached at 340-3260.

Malik Haskins press release

 

The Appellate Division Third Department has today unanimously affirmed the January 6, 2012 conviction of Malik Haskins upon a jury verdict convicting him of the crime of Burglary in the Second Degree, a Class C violent felony.

           

Defendant’s conviction stems from an incident which occurred on the afternoon of December 12, 2010.  On that date, the defendant, accompanied by his girlfriend, forcibly entered a residence in the Town of Ulster and stole a 42” flat screen television.  When the victim returned home and observed an unknown vehicle leaving her driveway she followed it.  When she pulled alongside the car, she recognized both the defendant, whom she had known for many years and considered him a family friend, and defendant’s girlfriend.  At that time, the victim also observed a large flat screen television in the rear seat.  She asked defendant if it was hers, and he replied that it was not hers.  However, when the victim returned home, she discovered that her side door had been forced open and her 42” TV was missing.  After the victim called 911 to report the burglary, she received a call from an unidentified male, who directed her to a designated location where defendant returned the TV to her.

 

Following his conviction, the defendant was sentenced by County Court Judge Donald A. Williams to a determinate term of 12 years followed by five years of post-release supervision.

 

On appeal, the defendant argued that the trial court’s rulings allowing the 911 call and a redacted version of the booking video to be admitted into evidence were erroneous and that the court’s Sandoval ruling, i.e., allowing the defendant to be cross examined based upon his prior criminal history, if he decided to take the stand, unduly prejudiced his right to a fair trial.  Finally, the defendant argued he was punished excessively for exercising his right to a jury trial.  All of defendant’s claims, however, were rejected by the Appellate Division Third Department.

 

On appeal, defendant is represented by John T. Casey, Jr. of Troy, New York.  Joan Gudesblatt Lamb handled the appeal for the District Attorney’s Office.

 

 

 

Press Releases - Liakis and Lambert

FROM: HOLLEY CARNRIGHT

DATE: OCTOBER 15, 2014

RE: PRESS RELEASE -  TWO BANK ROBBERS SENTENCED IN ULSTER COUNTY COURT

Today 54 year old Nicholas Liakis of Route 212 in Shandaken was sentenced as a “persistent violent felony offender” to a prison term of 16 years – life. Liakis pleaded guilty on July 1^st to robbing the Community Bank on Route 28 in Boiceville on February 26 of this year. Wearing a hooded sweatshirt he entered the bank armed with what appeared to be a handgun, a hand-written note, and was disguised with aviator-type goggles. After entering the bank, Liakis threatened the employees and customers, demanded a lot of cash from the bank employees, and fled with an undisclosed amount of cash. The money was recovered from his residence. 

At his sentencing today Liakis stated that he was sorry and wanted to apologize to the employees of Community Bank, but Judge Donald Williams skeptically inquired if Liakis was also sorry for the victims in his numerous prior violent crimes, some of which the judge listed; Liakis paused briefly and said yes. When asked by Judge Williams when his crimes and apologies would end, Liakis answered “now.” Judge Williams asked “why now?” Liakis candidly responded that given his criminal history he did not expect to get out of prison in the remainder of his life time. 

In a separate case, 49 year old Collin Lambert of Hunter, NY, was sentenced yesterday in Ulster County Court as a repeat felony offender for two bank robberies which he committed in 2013.

Lambert pleaded guilty to those robberies on September 9 before Judge Donald Williams in Ulster County Court, admitting that he robbed Chase Bank on Plattekill Avenue in New Paltz on April 2^nd, 2013, and the Key Bank on Market Street in Saugerties on January 11, 2013; no weapon was displayed in either robbery. 

Judge Williams sentenced Lambert to serve back-to-back (consecutive) prison terms of 3-6 years. 

I would like to take this opportunity to commend the police work done by the Ulster County Sheriff’s Department, and the New Paltz and Saugerties Police Departments and the assistance provided to us by the bank employees and citizens who help solved these robberies and bring Liakis and Lambert to justice.

Press Release - Tax on Heating

FROM: HOLLEY CARNRIGHT

DATE: OCTOBER 10, 2014

RE:  PRESS RELEASE - JURISDICTIONS THAT TAX RESIDENTIAL COAL, FUEL OIL AND WOOD (FOR HEATING)

Ulster County does not impose a local tax on residential energy sources and services, according to the Ulster County District Attorney’s Division of Consumer Affairs. No counties in the Mid-Hudson Valley currently do.

The following counties/municipalities do impose such a tax: Allegany County, Cattaraugus County, Cayuga County, Chemung County, Chenango County (city of Norwich only), Cortland County, Erie County, Franklin County, Madison County (city of Oneida only), Niagara County, Orleans County, Oswego County (city of Oswego only), Rockland County, Schenectady County, Steuben County (city of Hornell only), St. Lawrence County, Suffolk County, Tioga County, Tompkins County, Westchester County and New York City.

Consumer Affairs can be reached at 340-3260.

Press Release - Caller ID and Spoofing

FROM: HOLLEY CARNRIGHT

DATE: OCTOBER 7, 2014

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, 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 - German A. Lobaton Sentence

FROM: HOLLEY CARNRIGHT

DATE: OCTOBER 6, 2014

RE:  GERMAN A. LOBATON

On October 3, 2014, in Ulster County Court, German A. Lobaton (48), formerly a resident of Spring Glen, was sentenced to 13 years in prison and 5 years of post-release supervision, having pled guilty to burglary in the second degree, a class C felony, on July 25, 2014. Over a 4-month period in 2013, as a member of the Ellenville First Aid and Rescue Squad, Lobaton responded to medical emergencies at various homes in the Town of Wawarsing. Shortly after responding, knowing that the homes would be unoccupied, he returned to and entered them and stole numerous items of personal property. Much of the stolen property was eventually found in his home by the police. The case was investigated by the New York State Police in Ellenville.

Malcolm Jemmott press release

                                                             

         Malcolm Q. Jemmott, (DOB: 6/9/1966), of 118-28 179^th Street, Queens, N.Y., was found guilty of Criminal Possession of Weapon in the Second Degree and two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree after a three day jury trial in Ulster County Court.

The jury deliberated for about one hour before delivering the verdict.

Jemmott was arrested at approximately 1:30 P.M. on September 17, 2010, and charged with possessing a loaded .40 caliber Glock handgun after displaying the gun to residents on Franklin Street in the City of Kingston. The loaded handgun was found by police in a locked van on Pine Street about 45 minutes after the Kingston Police Department was notified of the incident. Located in the van with the handgun were two magazines containing twenty rounds of ammunition. The handgun had a live round in the chamber and was ready to be fired. The Glock was also defaced to conceal the serial numbers on the weapon. Jemmott had the keys to the van in his pocket, along with personal items in the van.

          Jemmott had previously entered a guilty plea on December 5, 2011 before Judge Donald A. Williams, to Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree and was sentenced to twelve years in state prison followed by five years of post-release supervision. The conviction was overturned by the Appellate Division, Third Department, on April 17, 2014, after the appellate court ruled that the recorded admissions made by Jemmott to the police should have been suppressed, and the indictment against Jemmott was reinstated.

          The defendant was represented at trial by Thomas Melanson. The defense relied heavily upon a DNA report which revealed that two separate DNA profiles were on the handgun and neither one was Jemmott’s. The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Gerard Van Loan.

Ulster County District Attorney Holley Carnright stated, “This individual possessed a loaded handgun a few blocks away from an elementary school that was about to discharge students. The Kingston Police Department was able to quickly diffuse a dangerous situation and prevent any harm to the public. We also commend the residents of Franklin Street who came forward and promptly reported this crime. Without assistance from the public, our efforts are greatly diminished.

Following the verdict, Judge Williams adjourned the case for sentencing.  Jemmott has an extensive prior criminal history, which includes 1999 convictions for illegal firearm in Kings County and a felony narcotics conviction from New York County.  Jemmott also has five misdemeanor convictions, also all from New York City.