State Police at Kingston on July 11 arrested Jaqwan M. Foster, 22, of Kingston, and Nicholas J. Lane, 21, of Connelly, and charged each with first-degree robbery.

The incident occurred near Devils Lake in East Kingston. Police said that during the course of the robbery, Lane punched the victim and Foster displayed a knife while forcibly taking the victim’s wallet and cell phone.

Police responded to a 911 call, which included a description of the suspects, and subsequently located the accused and made the arrests. The wallet and cell phone were discovered nearby.

Foster and Lane were arraigned in town of Ulster court and remanded to Ulster County Jail in lieu of $50,000 cash bail.

State Police arrested Sean Roff, 25, of Ulster, yesterday and charged him with second-degree rape, second-degree criminal sexual act, and second-degree disseminating indecent material to a minor, all felonies. He was arraigned in Town of Plattekill Court by Town Judge Murphy and remanded to the Ulster county Jail in lieu of $100,000 cash bail, $200,000 bond.

The suspect. (Photo provided)

The Kingston Police Department is investigating a robbery that occurred today at 2:43 p.m. at the KeyBank located at 267 Wall Street Kingston.

No one was hurt or injured during the robbery.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Kingston Police Department at 845-331-1671. All calls will be kept confidential.

Bradley J. Cook

Well that didn’t take long.

Bradley J. Cook, 27, of Kingston, was arrested and charged with third-degree robbery in connection with yesterday afternoon’s robbery at KeyBank on Wall Street in Kingston.

The robbery occurred at about 2:45 p.m. when a man entered the bank and demanded cash. No weapon was displayed and no one was injured during the robbery. He was last seen exiting the rear entrance.

According to police, in course of investigation, police developed Cook as a person of interest and arrested him later that evening. He’s now being held for arraignment.

(From surveillance video)

The building donated by Michael Persico (inset), now being used as a visitors’ center.

To the Saugerties business community, Michael Persico is known as a sharp investor in the local real estate market and a community-minded business owner who held Chamber of Commerce mixers at his 50-acre estate in West Saugerties and donated the use of a building in the heart of the village for use as a visitors’ center.

But federal prosecutors paint a very different picture of the 60-year-old Brooklyn native.

In a 2010 indictment and other documents from the U.S. Court for the Eastern District of New York, Persico is described as an “associate” of the Colombo crime family, a venerable mob organization allegedly headed by his father Carmine “The Snake” Persico from a federal prison where he’s serving a 139-year sentence on racketeering charges. In that capacity, prosecutors allege, Michael Persico engaged in criminal activities ranging from participating in a video game theft scheme to facilitating a 1993 hit on a rival mobster during a bloody civil war within the Colombo family.

At the heart of the 2010 indictment is a scheme by Michael Persico and his cousin, alleged Colombo soldier Theodore Persico Jr., to extort money from a Boston-area demolition contractor. The pair, working with other family members and associates named in the indictment, allegedly pressured the Testa Corporation to use a Colombo-linked trucking company to haul debris from job sites in Manhattan and Brooklyn and threatened violence when the company failed to meet their payment schedule. The indictment also alleged that Michael Persico participated in taking over the business of a Brooklyn furniture dealer who fell behind on loanshark payments to an associate.

In June 2012, Persico pleaded guilty to a single count of “extortionate extension of credit” as part of a plea agreement. As part of the deal prosecutors agreed to recommend a sentence of between 36 and 47 months in federal prison. But on July 21, a federal judge in Brooklyn handed down a five-year sentence. Eastern District Chief Judge Dora L. Irizarry said allegations about Persico’s criminal activity contained in a prosecutor’s sentencing memo warranted the stiffer term.

That memo was based on testimony by former Colombo capo-turned-government informant Anthony Russo. Russo confessed to acting as getaway driver in the 1993 hit on Joseph Scopo, a leader of a Colombo faction fighting to wrest control of the family from the imprisoned Carmine Persico. In 2011, after turning government witness, Russo described to investigators a 1993 conversation with Michael Persico about the planned Scopo hit and the difficulty he was having locating his target. Persico, Russo claimed, responded by directing him to two Colombo Family members who “had a line” on Scopo’s whereabouts and another who provided a submachine gun and other weapons used in the killing. Russo also told investigators that Michael Persico urged him to “get this thing done” before his brother, Alphonse “Allie Boy” Persico, went on trial in a pending criminal case. Russo also told prosecutors that Michael Persico lent him money for a loansharking operation, participated in the extortion of a valet company and was part of a scheme to steal and sell a truckload of handheld video games.

Michael Persico has never been charged with a crime in connection with Scopo’s murder or any of the other allegations contained in Russo’s testimony. Indeed, in a 2010 arraignment hearing Persico attorney Sarita Kedia noted her client had never been charged with any crime, except a single case of misdemeanor driving while ability impaired by alcohol.

But federal law allows judges to weigh criminal acts for which the defendant has not been charged or convicted at sentencing provided the allegations meet the “preponderance of the evidence” standard. Attorneys for Persico contested the truthfulness of Russo’s accounts, but Irizarry found the statements could be used in sentencing.

Forty-plus years in town

The Persico family’s links to Saugerties date back to at least the early ’70s. An April 1972 article in The New York Times describes the arrest of Carmine Persico and four associates at Blue Mountain Manor, a 54-acre estate in West Saugerties. The article was written weeks after mobster “Crazy” Joe Gallo was gunned down at a lower Manhattan restaurant in the midst of another struggle for control of the Colombo family. The story cites an arrest warrant that claims the family property served as a heavily guarded stronghold for Colombo family soldiers during the ongoing violence.

Today, Blue Mountain Manor is a guest house and banquet facility owned by Michael Persico. According to Ulster County property records, Michael Persico is all or part owner of 10 properties in Saugerties, including two single-family homes, three attached row buildings on Partition Street, an apartment building on Montross Street and several vacant parcels. Altogether, the properties have a total equalized assessment of $2,240,000.

Persico’s ties to Saugerties run deeper than property deeds. According to Saugerties Area Chamber of Commerce Chairman Mark Smith, Persico was a member of the group. Smith said Persico had hosted chamber mixers at Blue Mountain Manor. Last month, he offered the use of a Partition Street building that was between leases for use as a chamber-sponsored visitors’ center. Smith recalled Persico as a personable and, to his knowledge, wholly legitimate businessman.

“He was always a complete gentleman,” said Smith. “It’s too bad this happened to him.”

Other testaments to Persico’s character are contained in some 200 letters to the court — many from Saugerties residents — requesting leniency. The documents include a thank-you note from a local Cub Scout troop for a sponsorship and a missive from a Saugerties business owner who described the alleged loanshark making an interest-free loan to help their business through a difficult period. Among those who wrote letters on Persico’s behalf are Saugerties village trustee Donald Hackett, who wrote that he believed Persico to be “of good character and a great citizen.” Local realtor James Murphy called Persico a “perfectionist” in renovating his rental properties and “honest and reputable” in his business dealings.

In the 2010 bail hearing though, Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Busa said that while Michael Persico was an associate, rather than a “made” member of the crime family, he retained outsized influence with the Colombo crew. According to a transcript, Busa told the court that over the course of investigating the case, Persico was observed meeting with high-ranking members of the family including alleged street boss Ralph Valeo. Busa added that Persico was recorded directing other associates regarding the Testa shakedown.

“He’s not a typical organized crime associate,” Busa told the court. “He’s somebody who has a lot of influence, a lot of pull.”

Appeal planned

Marc Fernich, another attorney for Persico, wrote in an email that his client planned to appeal both the conviction and the sentence. Fernich said the appeal would be based on the claim that the conduct Persico admitted in his 2012 plea was not actually a crime. Fernich added that the government had breached its agreement with Persico by asking the court to consider alleged crimes of which he had not been convicted.

“Mr. Persico has never been indicted for any crime, let alone for involvement in organized crime,” wrote Fernich. “The government’s proof in this case was remarkably weak, but the judge seemed indelibly colored by his last name.”

Matthew J. Mari, a lawyer who once defended Carmine Persico and described himself as a friend of the family, accused prosecutors of a “double cross” by offering Michael Persico a relatively lenient sentence on a single charge, then issuing a “poison pen” memo to ensure that he received the maximum term. Mari said Persico was targeted not for anything he did but because a long-running vendetta by federal authorities against his family.

“The idea that Michael is involved in organized crime is laughable to anyone who knows him,” said Mari. “The FBI and the Justice Department have a list of people they want to get, and if you’re on it they will do anything and everything to put you in jail.”

Mari described Michael Persico as a successful businessman who owned restaurants, a coffee company and a limousine service in Brooklyn. In recent years, Mari said, Persico had strengthened his ties to Saugerties in part to avoid entanglements with associates of his father and older brother — Alphonse “Allie Boy” Persico is serving a life sentence for the 1999 murder of a Colombo family underboss — who populate his neighborhood of Dyker Heights in Brooklyn. Mari said older family members, believing that authorities were after the entire Persico clan, shielded Michael from anything that might put him in legal jeopardy.

“His father and brother went out of their way to make sure that Michael was never exposed to any criminal activity,” said Mari. “So that something like this could never happen to him.”

Persico is currently under court supervised home confinement. He is due to report to federal prison in October.

A Highland man has been arrested after allegedly coercing young girls to commit sexual acts online, according to FBI officials. Six Michigan teenagers have been identified as victims of William T. Phillips of Highland.

“We have recently learned that a local community member, who was also a former assistant coach in our school district, has been arrested and accused of producing child pornography,” Highland Superintendent Deborah Haab said in a statement posted to the district website on Monday, July 31. “This person has served as an assistant football and assistant baseball coach in Highland in past years. He is not currently affiliated with the district in any capacity.”

FBI investigators said Phillips was one of a group of men who used an online site to exploit pre-teen and teenage girls. The men pretended to be teenagers and persuaded the girls to engage in explicit activities during live stream chats. Members of the group would record the sexual acts and share the videos with other group members.

Phillips was identified after FBI agents executed a federal search warrant on April 10 on a man who agreed to speak with law enforcement officers after admitting to being among the group of men.

The man said their targets were mainly girls and women ages 14-18.

He told FBI agents his group started working with another set of individuals about six months ago, connecting via a chat room to strategize how to convince the young girls to engage in sexual acts. He said he remembered working with one username in particular, which agents later traced as belonging to Phillips.

The FBI obtained login information from the website and identified 15 minor victims, six of whom live in the Eastern District of Michigan.

Agents interviewed a 16- or 17-year-old girl on June 29 who said she had consistently used the website with four or five users she had believed to be teenage boys, who asked her to undress and engage in sexual acts. The victim told FBI agents she remembered chatting most frequently with a person using a specific username.

“This news is very troubling,” Haab wrote on Monday. “Law enforcement has not contacted the district about the investigation, and the only details we have about the charges are what has been published in the media. We have no reason to believe that any current or former students were victimized. Should there be any indication to the contrary, please be assured that the authorities will be immediately contacted.”

Agents discovered the person used three different MyLOL.com accounts to communicate with the victim for nearly two years, from June 27, 2015, through February 28 of this year, when the victim stopped using the site when she learned the person she was communicating with was not a fellow teenager.

MyLOL was subpoenaed on July 3 for subscriber information and IP logins for the three accounts, which were linked to two addresses in Highland. The one on Vineyard Avenue was used through February 2017, and the other, on Toc Drive, was used between February and May of 2017.

FBI agents executed a federal search warrant on July 27 at the home on Toc Drive. Phillips was allegedly  found inside a bedroom, laying on a bed. On the floor next to him was a laptop with multiple chat rooms open on the web browser, one of which was the chat room described by the man interviewed by agents, FBI officials said.

Agents found numerous child pornography videos and images on the laptop. They also found a video of a man raping a minor female.

The court document said there is probable cause to believe Phillips has produced, attempted to produce and conspired to produce child pornography and that he coerced and enticed a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct. He’s also accused of conspiring with others to receive and access child pornography and participating in a child pornography enterprise.

“News such as this can be devastating to a community, especially one as close-knit as Highland,” Haab said. “Please know that we promise that any complaint of misconduct by anyone affiliated with the district – past or present – is taken seriously. Our first priority is, and always will be, the safety of our students.” Haab added that the district’s  staff members are fingerprinted and undergo an extensive criminal history background investigation by the New York State Education Department prior to being employed, and the accused had clearance to work in the Highland district.

“If you are unsure of how to speak with your child about this topic, please do not hesitate to reach out to our school social worker, school psychologist or guidance counselors,” said Haab. “ I also encourage you to speak with your child about digital safety”

(File photo)

Saugerties Police announced two recent arrests in unrelated incidents at the town’s recreation complex.

The first involved numerous thefts from ice arena lockers. On Aug. 2, police arrested Eyzaiya T. Ortiz, 21, of Saugerties, and charged him with petit larceny. According to police, Ortiz, an employee with the Town of Saugerties Buildings and Grounds Department, entered into the locker rooms at the ice arena on several occasions, taking money from individual’s lockers, while the victims were on the ice.  Ortiz was arrested and processed at Saugerties Police Headquarters and charged with petit larceny incidental to being released on an appearance ticket to appear in Town of Saugerties Justice Court.

The second incident involved the removal of several fixed cameras from the Cantine Memorial Complex during the early morning hours of July 4. On Aug. 3, police arrested David C. Moorhus, 46, of Saugerties, and charged him with third-degree criminal trespass. Police said Moorhus was observed on other security cameras at the complex climbing over a fence and scaliing a building and removing security cameras that he had previously installed.  Moorhus illegally entered the property by climbing over fencing and walls without permission from the Town of Saugerties Parks and Recreations Department, hence the trespassing charge. Moorhus was processed at Saugerties police Headquarters and charged with the third-degree criminal trespass.

Callers asking for donations on behalf of the Saugerties Police Department are scammers, according to Police Chief Joe Sinagra.

The department has received numerous calls from area residents who have received such solicitations. The caller, whose number appears local on caller ID, claims to represent the department and requests donations on behalf of the Saugerties Police Department and the Ulster County Police Chiefs Association.

According to a release, neither organization solicits funds in this manner. “If you are ever in doubt of the validity of such solicitations, please contact your local police department before making any donations to any organization claiming to be collecting donations of behalf of law enforcement.”

Earl Edwards Jr., 27, was sentenced in Ulster County Court yesterday to life in prison with a minimum of 22 years on his conviction for the May 26, 2016 murder of Rameen Perry in Saugerties.

Edwards pled guilty to murdering Mr. Perry with a knife when he broke into his wife’s apartment and found Perry in bed with her. Edwards fled the jurisdiction following the murder and was located in Maryland and extradited. He was identified as the assailant by his wife who had barricaded herself behind a closet door and survived the incident.

The case was prosecuted by Chief Assistant District Attorney Michael Kavanagh and Senior Assistant District Attorney Clifford Owens.

Last Saturday night at 11:27 p.m., Saugerties Police responded to a 911 for a pedestrian and motor vehicle accident near 1358 Rt. 212 in the town of Saugerties.

Responding officers established that Anthony Koeppen, 25, of Rt. 212, was lying in the roadway and was intoxicated when struck by a motor vehicle driven by Mitchell Vinicor, 67, of Bearsville. Koeppen sustained a broken leg as a result.

Koeppen was treated at the scene by paramedics and then transported to Kingston Hospital by Diaz Ambulance. Several witnesses also observed Koeppen lying in the middle of the road at the time of the accident. Koeppen told officers that he was tired and decided to lay down to rest for a while before going home. Koeppen is being charged by Saugerties Police with disorderly conduct .

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Gap Inc. have announced an increased, combined reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the fire that took place on August 29, 2016, at the Northeast Distribution Center for Gap Inc., located at 100 Merritt Boulevard in Fishkill.

Anyone with information about the fire should contact ATF at 1-888-ATF-FIRE (888-283-3473), email ATFTips@atf.gov, or contact ATF through its website atwww.atf.gov/contact/atf-tips. Tips may also be submitted to ATF through the reportit® app, available on both Google Play and the Apple App Store, or by visiting www.reportit.com. All tips will be kept confidential.

On Wednesday, Aug. 30 at 5:11 p.m., Saugerties Police responded to a 911 call at 20 Mayfield Estates, in the town of Saugerties, for a report of a man being chased by men with baseball bats.

Upon arrival, police located the victim, a 32-year-old male from Rhinebeck, who was found lying on the ground semi- conscious, bleeding from both his face and head. The alleged attackers had fled prior to police arrival. The victim was treated at the scene by paramedics from DIAZ Ambulance and then airlifted by helicopter from the scene to the Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital in Poughkeepsie where he went under further treatment for his injuries.

Saugerties detectives later obtained a video of the attack, which led to the arrests of Vincent Neglia, 31, of Route 32, Saugerties, Russel Neglia, 22, of Route 32, Saugerties and Travis Gonzalez, 22, of Victor’s Lane, Saugerties.

Russel Neglia and Travis Gonzalez were charged with the felonies of robbery in the first degree, gang assault in the first degree, assault in the first degree and the misdemeanor of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree.

Vincent Neglia was charged with the felonies of robbery in the first degree, gang assault in the first degree, and assault in the first degree.

All three defendants were arraigned in the Town of Saugerties Court, Bail was set at $25,000 each. All three defendants posted bail at arraignment.

The former assistant administrator at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in Uptown Kingston has been accused of stealing almost $70,000 in church funds and a priest’s personal money over a 20-month period, the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office announced Friday, Sept. 1.

According to the DA’s office, Amanda Weiss, 28, of Kingston is charged with taking a total of $68,675.80 from the accounts of St. Joseph’s Church and from the personal account of one of the church’s priests. Prosecutors allege Weiss falsified bank records, invoices and the church’s check register, and that she also possessed forged and stolen checks.

The investigation, prosecutors said, started back in June. Weiss was arrested on Thursday, Aug. 31.

In connection with the theft of the church funds, she is charged with second-degree grand larceny, a felony; four counts of first-degree falsifying business records, a felony; and 26 counts of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, a felony. In connection with the theft of the church’s funds, she was charged with third-degree grand larceny, a felony; six counts of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, a felony; and third-degree criminal possession of stolen property, a felony. She was also charged with felony first-degree scheme to defraud.

Members of the District Attorney’s Office were assisted in their investigation by members of the Archdiocese of New York and a detective from the Kingston Police Department.

Update: The suspect was located at 2:30 p.m. at Sky Top Motel in the town of Saugerties and taken into custody without incident. He was arraigned and remanded to the Ulster County Jail in lieu of $30,000 cash bail.

The Saugerties Police Department has obtained a warrant of arrest for Malikye S. Stokes, 20, of Kingston, related to incident in which Stokes allegedly assaulted a 20-year-old male victim, breaking his jaw and stealing over $1,000 cash from him. The victim was admitted to the Albany Medical Center for treatment.

The charges are second-degree assault and second-degree robbery, both felonies.

Ulster County sheriff’s deputies say an Esopus man charged with vehicular manslaughter in a Sept. 14 incident which took the life of a bicyclist had been convicted of the same crime nearly two decades ago.

Deputies say John J. Ronk, 40, of Port Ewen had been drinking at home and was under the influence of alcohol around 7:28 p.m. on Sept. 14 when he was driving a 2004 Nissan X-Terra on New Salem Road. Deputies say Ronk crossed into an opposite lane, struck a guardrail then hit Brian A. Jones, 41, of Kingston who was riding a bicycle in the opposite direction. Jones was taken to HealthAlliance Hospital’s Broadway Campus where he succumbed to his injuries. Ronk was arrested at the scene and arraigned in Esopus Town Court. Ronk was charged with aggravated vehicular homicide and sent to the Ulster County Jail without bail.

Detectives are being assisted by members of the state police’s Collision Reconstruction Unit and Forensic Investigation Unit, as well as the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office. Police said that the investigation is ongoing and additional charges may be filed.

Ronk was convicted of vehicular manslaughter in Dutchess County in November 2000. State records show that he served 18 months of a one-to-three-year sentence in state prison before he was released in July 2002.

Jennifer McGrath-Jennings, 24, of Philmont, was arrested yesterday and charged with second-degree vehicular manslaughter and leaving the scene of a fatal accident, both class D felonies; DWI and reckless driving, both unclassified misdemeanors; and unsafe backing.

The arrest followed an accident in which McGrath allegedly struck a woman, 85-year-old Carol Milligan of Ghent, while backing up her vehicle in the parking lot of the Family Dollar on Main St. Philmont, then left the scene.

The victim was transported to Albany Medical Center by Greenport Rescue Squad where she succumbed to her injuries.
McGrath-Jennings was arraigned in Town of Claverack Court and remanded to the Columbia County Jail in lieu of $25,000 cash / $50,000 bond bail.

The State Police in Livingston are continuing the investigation. Anyone who witnessed the incident or has information regarding it is requested to contact police at 518-851-2982.

A car rear-ended a school bus this morning on Rt. 212 in Saugerties. Luckily, there were no injuries.

The accident occurred shortly before 7:26 a.m., when police received the call. Police said Nicholas W. Gagner, 31, of Palenville, was driving a 2016 Kia Solara east on Rt. 212 when he failed to observe that a school bus had stopped in front of him and struck it from behind.

Gagner was arrested and charged with the misdemeanor of aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the second degree and the violations of unlicensed operator, following too closely and failing to notify DMV of address change.

Edward S. McCoy

Kingston Police arrested Edward S. McCoy, 21, yesterday, and charged him with second-degree burglary (a felony) and fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property (a misdemeanor) following a reported burglary on Florence St.

Police responded to a burglary in progress at about 7:45 a.m. Monday, Oct. 23. They obtained a description of the suspect, who had fled. Police observed McCoy a short distance away and arrested him.

According to police, McCoy had an outstanding NYS Parole warrant as well as a warrant from the town of Saugerties.

He was arraigned in Kingston City Court and remanded to Ulster County Jail in lieu of $100,000 cash bail / $200,000 property bond.

Christopher Smith

State Police at Highland today charged Christopher Smith, 43, of Wallkill, with second-degree murder. The arrest followed a missing person investigation that began in June of 2017. State Police executed a search warrant at a residence on Quaker Street in Town of Newburgh where human remains were recovered.

The identity of the homicide victim is William K. McMahon, 50, of Quaker St., town of Newburgh.  McMahon was last seen alive in April of 2017 and reported missing to the state police in June of 2017.

State Police were assisted by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, Orange County Medical Examiner and the Plattekill Fire Department at the scene.  Smith was Arraigned before Town of Newburgh Justice Hon. Richard Clarino and remanded to the Orange County Jail without bail.

Hughroy E. Thompson

On Oct. 21, the New York State Police Community Narcotics Enforcement Team (CNET), in conjunction with the Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office, conducted a narcotics investigation which resulted in the arrest of Hughroy E. Thompson, 44, of Taylor Ave., Poughkeepsie, for criminal possession of a controlled substance in the 1st degree, a felony, and criminal possession of a marijuana in the 1st degree, also a felony.

As a result of the narcotics investigation, State Police made a major drug seizure of approximately 26 pounds of cocaine and 42 pounds of marijuana. The estimated street value of the illegal drugs is over two million dollars.

Thompson was arraigned before the Town of Fishkill Justice Court and remanded to the Dutchess County Jail with no bail.

A police dog poses with the seized drugs