Press Release - Office for the Aging phone scam

FROM: HOLLEY CARNRIGHT

DATE: AUGUST 8, 2019

RE: OFFICE FOR THE AGING PHONE SCAM

According to the Ulster County District Attorney’s Division of Consumer Affairs, areal residents are receiving scam phones calls purportedly from our local Office for the Aging (OFA).

Please be advised the Office for the Aging – or any government office – will not call you asking for your Social Security number.

To verify the authenticity of any calls, contact OFA at 845-340-3456.

Consumer Affairs can be reached at 845-340-3260.

Press Release - Capital One Data Breach

Press Release

August 7, 2019

CAPITAL ONE’S DATA BREACH

In the wake of Capital One’s recent data breach, the Ulster County District Attorney’s Division of Consumer Affairs suggests Capital One account holders visit the website, https://www.capitalone.com/facts2019/2/.

If you do not have internet access – or wish to speak with an agent – call 1-800-227-4825.

Consumer Affairs can be reached at 845-340-3260.

Press Release - Seminar Marketing

FROM: HOLLEY CARNRIGHT

DATE: AUGUST 1, 2019

RE: PRESS RELEASE – SEMINAR MARKETING

Consumers who plan to attend free seminars should be aware that in most cases the presenters will promote products and services that are for sale. Products sold at these seminars include self improvement, investment education materials, home based businesses and timeshare vacation packages. The Ulster County District Attorney’s Division of Consumer Affairs offers the following tips to individuals interested in attending such seminars:

·       Take your time. Avoid high-pressure sales pitches that require you to buy now or risk losing out on the opportunity;

·       Check out the company before signing a contract. What is the physical address and reputation of the company?;

·       Be sure to read and understand the entire contract before signing. What is the cancellation/refund policy?

Consumer Affairs can be reached at 340-3260.

Press Release - John Ilacqua appeal

PRESS RELEASE

 

FROM:     HOLLEY CARNRIGHT, DISTRICT ATTORNEY

DATE:     AUGUST 1, 2019

The Appellate Division, Third Department has unanimously affirmed the conviction of John Ilacqua rendered November 9, 2016 upon a plea of guilty 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 October 27, 2015 in the early evening.  At that time, defendant knowingly entered and remained unlawfully in a residence in Clintondale in the Town of Plattekill with intent to commit a crime therein after breaking a window in the rear of the residence to gain access.  When police responded following a 911 call by a neighbor, defendant was caught red handed inside the residence.

Pursuant to a plea agreement, defendant was sentenced by County Court Judge Donald A. Williams to a determinate State prison term of six years followed by five years postrelease supervision.

On appeal, defendant challenged his sentence on the ground it was unduly harsh and excessive, but given that he waived his right to appeal in accord with the terms of the plea agreement, the Appellate Division, Third Department found that he was foreclosed from making that argument.

On appeal, defendant is represented by Tracy Steeves, Esq. of Kingston, New York.  Assistant District Attorney Joan Gudesblatt Lamb, Esq. handled the appeal for the District Attorney’s Office.

Press Release - Maurice Stansberry Sr. conviction

FROM: HOLLEY CARNRIGHT

DATE: JULY 29, 2019

RE: PRESS RELEASE -  ULSTER COUNTY JURY CONVICTS KINGSTON MAN OF MURDER, ROBBERY AND GUN POSSESSION

    

An Ulster County trial jury of 8 men and 4 women deliberated for about 4 hours last Friday and returned a verdict convicting 39 year old Maurice Stansberry, Sr., of 27 Washington Avenue, Kingston, for the murder of Mark Lancaster. Stansberry Sr. shot and killed Lancaster on Sawkill Road on December 1, 2018 following an armed robbery.

Minutes before the murder, Stansberry, his son Maurice Stansberry Jr., and a third individual, Kevin Gardener, had gone to the Sawkill Trailer Park for a marijuana deal which had been set up by Gardener. Stansberry Sr. was armed with a loaded nine millimeter pistol. When he was shown the pot he pointed the loaded gun at the pot dealer, the victim’s son, and demanded the pot.  He and Gardener then ran back to their waiting get-away car driven by Stansberry Jr. and fled.

When Lancaster learned that his son had been robbed he chased the Stansberry car about a mile and a half on Sawkill Road heading towards Washington Avenue and pulled in front of the vehicle causing it to stop. As Lancaster got out of his car Stansberry Sr. pulled out the pistol, racked it, and announced that “I’m going to shoot one of these motherfuckers.” Lancaster, who was unarmed, opened the driver’s door of the Stansberry car and demanded that they give back his property. Stansberry Sr. then shot him in the lower abdomen. The bullet passed through him severing major blood vessels, causing severe internal bleeding and hemorrhage resulting in Lancaster’s death. 

Maurice Stansberry Sr., Maurice Stansberry Jr., and Kevin Gardener were indicted by an Ulster County Grand Jury for felony Murder, Robbery, and Weapons charges. Felony Murder is defined as a murder committed during the commission of or immediate flight from certain felonies, armed robbery being one of them. Felony murder extends criminal liability to all of the parties knowingly involved in the underlying felony.

Stansberry Sr.’s trial began last Monday and ended Friday with a verdict convicting him for Murder, 4 counts of Armed Robbery, Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 2^nd degree, and Criminal Use of a Firearm in the 1^st degree. The murder conviction carries a maximum prison sentence of up to 25 years to life. His sentencing is set for October 4. 

Stansberry Sr. has multiple misdemeanor convictions dating back over 20 years as well as a prior felony conviction for Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance, third degree. He is believed to be a member of the Bloods Street Gang.

Prior to the Stansberry trial, Kevin Gardener pleaded guilty to felony murder and removed himself from the trial of the case. He is expected to be sentenced October 1 in Ulster County Court. Maurice Stansberry Jr. cooperated with the DA’s Office in exchange for a negotiated plea and sentence recommendation; the disposition of his case is expected later this Fall.

Stansberry Sr. was represented by Russell Schindler of the Public Defender’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Emmanuel Nneji and Timothy Lawson.