On Friday, July 17 the New York State Police in Rhinebeck in conjunction with the Troop K Computer Crimes Unit, and the Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce arrested Richard G. Kelly, 49, of Hyde Park, for Possessing an Obscene Sexual Performance by a Child and Unlawful Surveillance in the second degree, both class E felonies.

Kelly is accused of possessing images consistent with child sexual exploitation and surreptitiously recording candid images of unsuspecting victims.

Kelly was issued appearance tickets returnable to the town of Hyde Park Court on August 4, at 4 p.m. and the town of Poughkeepsie on August 18 at 5 p.m.

The investigation stemmed from a cyber tip received by the New York State Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and is ongoing at this time. Anyone with information regarding possible crimes or suspicious activity committed by the accused is asked to please contact the New York State Police at (845) 677-7300.

Russell J. Neglia, Michael A. Manor, and Roger W. Hummer.

A local drug ring has been busted open as the result of a year-and-a-half investigation involving federal and local law-enforcement officials from two counties. The two Saugerties residents fingered as ringleaders have pleaded guilty to federal charges, as has a fellow conspirator from Cairo. Four more suspects face state-level charges, and there may be more arrests forthcoming.

Officers seized large amounts of cocaine and cannabis in various forms, as well as packaging materials, a loaded rifle, more than $135,000 in cash, and a commercial-grade cash-counting machine. The cannabis products included a pound and a half of wax hashish and 363 THC cartridges. Russell J. Neglia, 25, and Roger W. Hummer, 38, both of Saugerties, were arrested March 2, and each charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute it and conspiracy to possess that controlled substance with intent to distribute. Hummer was also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Neglia pleaded guilty July 15, while Hummer has not yet entered a plea.

According to detective lieutenant Abram Markiewicz of the Ulster County sheriff’s department at a press conference on Monday, Neglia is a member of the same family as Jenna Neglia, who was arrested last week for heroin and fentanyl-related charges, but the two cases are not connected.

Authorities say Michael A. Manor of Teaneck, New Jersey, arrested March 9, was the source of the cocaine that the other two were distributing in Ulster and Greene counties. When Manor was pulled over in an “intelligence-based traffic stop” in the Town of Ulster, he had a kilogram of cocaine in the vehicle. He has admitted to bringing 880 grams of cocaine from New York City to Saugerties over the course of three trips in 2018 and 2020, in addition to the kilogram with which he was found upon his arrest. He pleaded guilty on July 20, prior to the press conference held at the Ulster County Law Enforcement Center to announce the investigation.

Investigators say they conducted thousands of hours of physical and electronic surveillance, used federal wire interceptions on multiple phone lines, conducted numerous undercover buy operations, conducted intelligence based traffic stops to seize cocaine and marijuana, and executed multiple search warrants in both Ulster and Greene counties.

“Drugs destroy families and lives,” said Grant C. Jaquith, United States Attorney for the state’s Northern District, at the press conference. Citing all-time overdose deaths, he said that the “unprecedented levels of effective partnership” to make these arrests would deter other dealers and are an “important part of education and prevention.”

David Clegg, district attorney for Ulster County, promised to “stand shoulder to shoulder” with Jaquith in prosecuting state charges against others who have been apprehended. These were named as Vincent F. Neglia Sr., Sophia R. Ricci, and Scott Giannone of Saugerties, as well as Francis M. Raffiani of Palenville. Other charges will be forthcoming from the district attorney in Greene County, who was not present at this press conference. Markiewicz said that charges against individuals not yet named are also forthcoming. Clegg said that these actions are intended to send a message out to the community that “you should not be involved with drug trafficking.”

Sheriff Juan Figueroa confirmed that drug sales and overdoses have seen an uptick during this pandemic, and echoed Clegg that they are “trying to send a message” that anyone who sells “that poison in our county will be arrested.”

This investigation was coordinated through the Ulster Regional Gang Enforcement Narcotics Team, which is funded and peopled via a number of local law-enforcement agencies. Federal personnel were also involved in this operation.

Investigators say they conducted thousands of hours of physical and electronic surveillance, used federal wire interceptions on multiple phone lines, conducted numerous undercover buy operations, conducted intelligence based traffic stops to seize cocaine and marihuana, and executed multiple search warrants in both Ulster and Greene counties.

The Kingston Police Department is investigating reports of shots being fired at a residence at 373 Washington Avenue.

Last night at around 11:15 p.m., members of the Kingston Police Department responded to a report of shots being fired at a multi-family residence at 373 Washington Avenue. An unknown person or persons shot two times into the front apartment that was occupied by four residents, including two children.

There were no reports of any injuries to any of the residents.

The shooting is the ninth in the city since June 26. Kingston Police Chief Egidio Tinti has called the rash of shootings “unprecedented” and is seeking information from the community.

Blue icons indicate shootings that did strike a person; purple resulted in injuries, red in death.

The Kingston Police Department is investigating this shooting of the occupied residence and is asking the public’s assistance in helping identify those responsible. Anyone with information is asked to call the Kingston Police Department at 845-331-1671. Those wishing to remain anonymous can leave a message on the Tipline at 845-331-4499.

Robert Guarino, a resident of a Saugerties location of the Anderson Center for Autism, was arrested by the Saugerties Police Department twice in one day last week, bringing his total to 14 arrests since April 1. Saugerties Police Chief Joseph Sinagra said the ongoing issues with Guarino are proof that bail reform in New York State has not worked. 

Bail reform went into effect in New York State on January 1, 2020, in part eliminating some pretrial detention and cash bail, which proponents of the reform said inequitably punished those who could not afford to pay bail. Cash bail was still allowed for nearly all violent felonies and some nonviolent felonies, like sex offenses and witness tampering, and an amendment to the reform that went into effect on July 1 added other crimes to this category, including vehicular assault and second-degree robbery. In most misdemeanor cases and nonviolent felonies, judges are still required to release people with less restrictive conditions, with cash bail prohibited. 

In the late afternoon on Thursday, July 16, Guarino was arrested at the Anderson Center on Fortune Valley Lane after a 911 report of a male subject breaking windows at the facility. Guarino was arrested and processed by Saugerties Police, then arraigned in the Town of Saugerties Justice Court where he was issued an order of protection on behalf of Anderson Center staff. According to the police report, Guarino was then released on his own recognizance and turned over to the Anderson Center staff. 

According to the police report, the Saugerties Police Department was called back to the Anderson Center at 9:51 p.m., where a subsequent investigation found that Guarino had broken more windows, and also allegedly punched a staff member in the face and broke the staff member’s Apple Watch. Guarino was again arrested and brought before the Town of Saugerties Justice Court after which he was remanded to the Ulster County Jail in lieu of $5,000 cash bail or a $10,000 bond. 

Following these latest incidents, Guarino was charged with Criminal Contempt of a Court Order in the 1st Degree (felony), Criminal Mischief in the 3rd Degree (felony), two counts of Criminal Mischief in the 4th Degree (misdemeanor) and Harassment in the 2nd Degree (violation). 

“This is the epitome of the failure of bail reform,” said Sinagra. “This is happening around the state with cases like this. Fourteen arrests before we can get this person into a jail. In the meantime, you have workers at the facility that are getting injured, some of them seriously. And you have property that is being damaged.”

Sinagra said that Guarino’s prior arrests and subsequent releases meant the criminal justice system has become “a revolving door for him.” 

“He comes into the system, he gets brought to headquarters, he gets fingerprinted and photographed,” Sinagra said. “He likes the attention. And because these are non-arraignable (sic) qualifying offenses, the best we can do is give him a court date to come back to the court.”

The Anderson Center for Autism, headquartered in Staatsburg, did not respond to queries about Guarino, but Sinagra said he may require more precise care than he’s currently receiving. 

“He actually suffers from a behavioral disorder PTSD is what we’re bring told,” said Sinagra. “When he’s highly functional and when you speak to him, you don’t really detect that there’s an issue. Because it’s a behavioral issue, when he doesn’t get his way, that’s when he becomes violent. I’ve had conversations with the workers at this location, and they’re not capable of handling him when he goes into one of his fits and rages.”

Sinagra said that the Saugerties Police Department worked with the District Attorney’s office and local judges last week, and that they all appear to be on the same page. 

“I think everybody’s had enough at this point,” said Sinagra. “The judge gave Mr. Guarnio a very stern warning that future conduct of this sort could result in him going to jail. And it wasn’t even two hours later, we’re back at the residence dealing with him because he broke more windows, he punched a worker, he broke their watch.”

Sinagra said that should Guarino be released following his next court appearance, he’d like to see him moved from the Anderson Center. 

“I don’t want to see him go to prison,” Sinagra said. “He needs to go someplace where he can get help…I believe everybody’s on the same page right now, and if he gets released, he needs to be released to a different facility, a facility where the healthcare providers can adequately handle somebody of his caliber. Somebody that can help him with his anger-management issues. We just can’t keep ignoring it. And that’s what we’ve been doing up until this point.”

Sinagra said that because bail reform has allowed Guarino to repeatedly be released in spite of a spate of arrests, he’s still a potential danger to others. 

“My biggest concern as police chief is that he’s already demonstrated an ability to be violent enough to hurt someone,” Sinagra said. “What’s going to happen when we have one of those encounters with our law enforcement officer. We are being forced into a position where we may have to go hands-on, physical force with him? And depending on the extent of his anger and outrage and circumstances occurring at that specific moment, this could end up being a fatal situation for my officer or for Mr. Guarino. I’m very frustrated over that.”

On July 22, 2020, the New York State Police arrested Bradley R. Straley, 37, of Washington, for Attempted Arson in the second degree, a class C felony.

At approximately 4 p.m. yesterday, July 22, Troop T patrols responded for a call of a reported arson at the Canaan Toll Plaza located on Interstate 90 in the town of Canaan, Columbia County. An investigation concluded that a recently terminated New York State Thruway employee, Bradley R. Straley, attempted to light an occupied NYS Thruway vehicle on fire. According to police, Straley fled the scene prior to the arrival of patrols, and was subsequently taken into custody on the Taconic State Parkway. No one was injured.

Straley was arraigned virtually before the city of Hudson court and remanded to the Columbia County Jail in lieu of $5,000 cash bail or $15,000 bond. He is next scheduled to appear before the court on July 28, 2020, at 9:00 a.m.

Rosendale police officers were dispatched to a residence in Tillson on Sunday, July 26 at approximately 12:21 a.m. for a subject overdosing on medications. The officers were met with a combative male, who attempted to refuse them entry. A physical altercation occurred.

According to the police, during the course of the altercation, the father of the combative male appeared from another room with a handgun, which he pointed at the officers. Initially, he refused commands to drop the weapon, but was subsequently taken into custody without further incident. The combative male was also taken into custody.

The subject who was suffering an overdose was treated at the scene and was transported by Mobile Life Support Service to Health Alliance, Kingston Campus.

34 East St. James Street

The Kingston Police Department is investigating the reports of shots being fired at a residence at 34 East St. James Street.

Last night at around 11:50 p.m., members of the Kingston Police Department responded to a report of shots being fired at a single-family residence at 34 East St. James Street. Shots struck a car parked in the driveway and the residence, which was occupied by several residents at the time.

There were no reports of any injuries to any of the residents.

As the number of reported shootings this summer in Kingston climbs, the mayor and police chief have announced a wide collaboration among law enforcement agencies to address crime in the city. The result will be more police officers visible on the streets to deter or prevent crime, and more personnel working on solving crimes that have already been committed. State troopers, sheriff’s deputies, Kingston city and Ulster town police will be involved in the effort, as well as staffers from the district attorney’s office. For the effort to be successful, however, public officials are urging members of the public to cooperate more with local officers.

The various personnel will be “working in coordination to focus our policing efforts to prevent future violent incidents, as well as assisting in investigative work to solve the recent rash of crimes,” according to the statement released yesterday. Additional patrols and investigative units will come from state police, a special investigator from the district attorney’s office will be assigned specifically to Kingston crimes, and “additional support” will come from the sheriff’s department.

Chief Egidio Tinti said last month that he was requesting additional resources to aid in the investigations; this appears to be the answer to that call. In the released statement, the chief said, “Our department is well-equipped but the number of incidents has overwhelmed our resources. Having the additional assistance will mean more officers for increased street presence and the behind-the-scenes investigations.”

Both Mayor Steven Noble and David Clegg, the county’s district attorney, are framing this is a problem with gun violence and drug trafficking alike, with Clegg maintaining that there are only a “small number of offenders responsible for these crimes.”

Cooperating with police to solve these crimes is a theme hit on by the mayor, as well as the common council members quoted in the statement. Reynolds Scott-Childress is seeking to remind residents of the positive track record of their local officers, and Tony Davis is calling for Kingstonians to “bridge the divide and bring peace to our streets together.” Noble, too, emphasized the need to work with law enforcement personnel. Tinti has spoken about the lack of public support and interaction in the wake of the nationwide tensions that erupted after George Floyd was killed by an officer in Minneapolis.

The push will begin next week and is scheduled to last for 10 weeks total.

The most recent shooting came Sunday night, Aug. 2, when shots were fired at an occupied residence at 34 East St. James Street, a residence that had been targeted previously in February. No one was hit in either incident. The shooting was the 10th in Kingston since June 26.

The Kingston Police Department is investigating the reports of shots being fired in the area of Henry Street at Pine Street.

Today, August 5, around 9:25 a.m., members of the Kingston Police Department responded to a report of a shot being fired in the area of the intersection of Henry and Pine streets. An investigation into the incident indicates that this was not a random incident, but a dispute between multiple individuals that escalated into a shot being fired during the confrontation.

There were no reports of any injuries.

The Kingston Police Department was assisted by the members of the New York State Police and Ulster County Sheriff’s Office. A collaboration between those departments to address the rise in shootings in the city this summer was recently announced. More info here.

The investigation is continuing.

The Kingston Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance in helping identify those responsible. Anyone with information is asked to call the Kingston Police Department at 845-331-1671. Those wishing to remain anonymous can leave a message on our Tipline at 845-331-4499.

The shooting was the 11th in the city since June 26.

Saugerties police officers have arrested Austin T. Hollister, 21 of Purling, on the felony charge of forcible rape in the first degree.

On August 16 at 3:04 a.m., the Saugerties Police Department responded to the Wenton Motel in Saugerties following a 911 call for a female yelling for help. According to police reports, witnesses reported hearing a female screaming that she was being raped. Several motel guests were able to force their way into the motel room, allowing the female to escape. One witness then held the suspect on the ground until he was taken into custody by Saugerties police officers.

Saugerties police detectives are continuing their investigation and additional charges are to be filed. Hollister was arraigned in the Town of Saugerties justice court and sent to the Ulster County Jail in lieu of $10,000 cash bail.

Mark Smith’s “Spirit of Woodstock” (Facebook)

Saugerties Police arrested Vincent DeBellis, 43, of Rt. 9W, and charged him with third-degree criminal mischief, a felony, for allegedly damaging a piece of public art.

In the early a.m. hours of Monday, August 17, police responded to a report of an intoxicated disorderly person on Partition Street throwing items at passing cars. Upon arrival officers identified the intoxicated male as 43-year-old Vincent DeBellis of Saugerties. DeBellis was observed by witnesses tearing the wings off the “Spirit of Woodstock” butterfly, a piece of artwork currently on display in the Village of Saugerties as part of the “Fluttering Around Saugerties” Chamber of Commerce Artist display.

DeBellis was taken into custody and processed at Saugerties Police Headquarters. DeBellis was then released on an appearance ticket returnable to the Village of Saugerties Justice Court on August 31 to answer the charge.

New Paltz police have been investigating a series of burglaries and larcenies that occurred between July 14 and July 21. According to police chief Robert Lucchesi, the department received reports of a burglary and criminal mischief to a local car wash on two separate occasions and several reports of theft from parked vehicles.

Following a month-long investigation, probable cause was established to charge Dominick Teroni, 46, of Highland, with felony charges of burglary in the third degree, two counts of criminal mischief in the second degree, two counts of grand larceny in the fourth degree, and several misdemeanor charges for petit larceny.

Teroni was located in Lloyd by New Paltz detectives and taken into custody without incident. He was arraigned by town justice James Bacon and sent to the Ulster County Jail with no bail.

The New Paltz police were assisted at the scene by the Lloyd police.

Members of the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office report the arrest of David H. Smith, 35, of Kingston, following a traffic stop on Lakeview Terrace in the town of Esopus. Smith is alleged to have possessed approximately 250 bags of heroin after a search of the vehicle by a sheriff’s K9 unit.

He was charged with the felony of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and the traffic infraction for failing to signal a turn. He was released with an appearance ticket returnable to the Town of Esopus Court on a later date.

Timothy L. Schleede (inset) and the results of a search at two area locations. 

The Ulster Regional Gang Enforcement Narcotics Team (URGENT) reports the arrest of Timothy L. Schleede, 29, of Kingston, after a narcotics investigation.

Earlier this month, URGENT began an investigation into the sale of heroin and fentanyl at hotels and motels in the Town of Ulster. As a result, Schleede was identified as a person of interest. Last week, according to police, Schleede was seen by members of URGENT engaging in several drug transactions at one of the hotels, including one to an undercover police officer. He was taken into custody shortly thereafter.

Following his arrest, a search warrant was executed on his hotel room, which resulted in the recovery of about 2,500 bags of heroin and fentanyl. An additional search warrant was executed at another location that resulted in the recovery of an additional 7,500 bags of heroin and fentanyl.

Schleede was arraigned in the Town of Ulster Court on the charge of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree (a felony) and remanded to the Ulster County Jail without bail after violating the terms of release for a previous pending case in the Town of Ulster. The investigation is continuing and additional charges are expected.

There have been no new shooting incidents in Kingston since a local collaboration with state and county authorities was announced early last month. Increased numbers of police on the streets does reduce violent crime, but it can also escalate tensions among people who are fearful of police interactions. Chief Egidio Tinti has announced some of the statistics from the past month since the effort was launched. A police commission meeting on September 9 will allow residents to share their concerns.

Since August 6, state troopers, sheriff’s deputies, and city officers have racked up 232 traffic stops resulting in 144 traffic tickets, 13 field interviews, nine charges of driving while intoxicated, 34 gun- or drug-related arrests, and seven arrests on outstanding warrants.

The chief said that recovered weapons have been sent to a laboratory to determine whether they are connected to any of the shootings over the summer, but results have not yet been returned. 

Tinti’s statement directly addressed arrest anxiety: “We understand that there has been some concerns raised by community members regarding the increased police presence as a result of the recent gun violence. We are trying to balance the proactive patrols with those concerns. Some community members have expressed anxiety about being stopped by police. Officers are aware of the anxiety that a person may experience when they see the patrol car lights or hear the siren behind them. If you do get pulled over, we encourage you to follow these suggestions from the ACLU’s website: https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/stopped-by-police/.”

An outreach coordinator from the state police is working with community leaders “to provide information about the efforts and address any worries they may have” as part of this multi-tiered effort, which also involves additional investigators working behind the scenes to solve past crimes.

“A lot of community relations is an open dialogue,” said Tinti. The most common questions the chief gets is why a particular person is stopped at a particular time. There must be probable cause for a traffic stop, which might be as simple as the failure to signal. Drivers observed breaking a traffic law can usually be pulled over, and that gives officers the opportunity to notice evidence of issues like intoxication and to check the driver’s history for outstanding warrants or other reasons to search the car without consent.

Tinti acknowledged that this partnership would be temporary. With the conversation often focusing on de-funding rather than enhancing funding of police, the chief observed that police were the mechanism in place to help reduce the violence. “Until there’s a different one, that’s where we’re at,” he said. “This style of policing helps people recognize that their behavior is unnecessary” when they choose “not to abide by social standards.”

Daniel Kellogg, 22, of Saugerties, was arrested about 2:15 p.m. on Monday, September 14 in the Town of Ulster and charged with the felony of vehicular manslaughter in connection with an April accident in Saugerties that killed a passenger in the car he was driving. According to the Saugerties Police Department, Kellogg was taken into custody after a vehicle in which he was a passenger was pulled over by police.

Earlier in the day, Saugerties police said they received information that Kellogg had planned on fleeing Ulster County on Tuesday, and they were able to confirm that he had purchased a one-way bus ticket to Arizona and then had plans to continue on to California.

The arrest stemmed from a previous accident on Wednesday, April 22 at 1:22 a.m. Kellogg was reportedly driving a 2000 Honda Accord on Route 9W in the area of Sunoco in Saugerties when his car went off the road and struck a utility pole. Kellogg had to be extricated from the vehicle was flown to Albany Medical Center for treatment. Police said that a passenger in the vehicle, David M. Mattison, 29, of Kingston sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Further investigation by Saugerties police detectives established that on April 22 Kellogg was operating the car while under the influence of alcohol and prescription drugs when he struck the pole.        

Kellogg was arraigned on Monday in the Town of Saugerties justice court and sent to the Ulster County jail in lieu of $10,000 cash bail.

Woodstock police chief Clayton Keefe told the town board last week that he needed to have an officer conduct investigative work to deal with an uptick in crime and lighten the workload for the town’s only detective . . .

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A 30-year-old Kingston man was arrested yesterday following a stabbing in midtown.

Yesterday, September 21, at approximately 6:05 p.m., police responded to the area of Foxhall Avenue and Flatbush Avenue for a call of an assault and stabbing. Officers and detectives responded to the scene and located a 39-year-old male who was bleeding from the stomach from an apparent stab wound, and administered first aid until EMS arrived. Simultaneously, other officers located a suspect later learned to be Christopher D. Torres, 30, also of Kingston. Torres was transported to the Kingston Police Department for questioning. The victim was transported to Vassar Hospital in Poughkeepsie to receive further treatment for his injuries.

Detectives charged Torres with first-degree assault, fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Torres is currently being held at the Kingston Police Department pending arraignment in Kingston City Court.

Kingston Police were assisted by the New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) and The Ulster County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Division.

“Small businesses have suffered devastating losses during the coronavirus pandemic, and the FBI will not tolerate anyone who steals the funding designed to be a lifeline for those businesses,” said FBI special agent Thomas F. Redford in an announcement of fraud charges against Saugerties resident Jean R. Lavanture, a.k.a. Rudy Lavanture.

Lavanture, 47, is accused of fraudulently obtaining nearly $5 million in government-backed loans meant for businesses struggling with the financial effects of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a press release issued by the US. Attorney’s office for the Northern District of New York. “FBI agents arrested Lavanture Thursday, September 17 at an 8.54-acre estate in New Jersey he is alleged to have bought with fraudulently obtained funds.”

Lavanture allegedly received approximately $4,906,281 between June 16 and July 22, 2020 through the Paycheck Protection Program and economic injury disaster loans. The funds were issued by two banks and the Small Business Administration to five Saugerties-based companies Lavanture controlled, the press release states. The US. Attorney’s office alleges that Lavanture falsely represented that each company had employees, substantial revenues and a payroll, and, the charge states, “he submitted fraudulent tax documents in support of his lies.”

In fact, according to the complaint, none of these companies has ever reported employees to the New York State Department of Labor, nor reported income to the Internal Revenue Service for 2017 through 2019, the press release states.

“The complaint also alleges that Lavanture has improperly used loaned funds to make property purchases and pay personal expenses, further demonstrating his fraudulent intent. According to the complaint, Jean Lavanture stole millions of dollars from important government programs created to help struggling communities during the pandemic. We are on the lookout for fraud, and we will use all available tools to prosecute those who lie, cheat and steal from programs that America’s businesses and their employees so desperately need,” said acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon. 

Law enforcement said it would “continue to aggressively pursue fraudsters seeking to illegally exploit the ongoing coronavirus emergency.”|

The widely used CARES Act authorized forgivable loans to small businesses for job/employee retention and certain other expenses, through the PPP. PPP loan proceeds must be used by the borrowing business only on certain, permissible expenses – specifically, payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent, and utilities. PPP loans are issued by banks and guaranteed by the SBA.

“The charges in the complaint are merely accusations,” the document states. “The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.”

Woodstock dentist Vivian Letizia faces up to 20 years in prison on charges she purchased and filled prescriptions for nearly 2900 oxycodone tablets to feed her own habit.

Letizia, 62, of Stone Ridge, was arrested September 22 on a criminal complaint by federal Drug Enforcement Agency agents after a lengthy investigation.

She appeared September 22 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District in Albany on the charge of illegally dispensing controlled substances for non-medical purposes outside the usual course of professional practice. If convicted, Letizia faces 20 years in prison and up to $1 million in fines.

According to the criminal complaint filed in the Northern District on September 18, Letizia ordered 2800 tablets of the narcotic painkiller oxycodone to be delivered to her dental practice at 2 Maverick Road in Woodstock between April 2018 and January 2020 “exclusively for her own consumption.”

She also prescribed 92 tablets of Percocet, a brand name for oxycodone, to four patients between December 2019 and January 2020, with the intent of picking them up at area pharmacies including CVS in Woodstock and Kingston, Hannaford in Kingston and Walmart in the Town of Ulster for her own use, according to the complaint.

In all cases, Letizia filled or attempted to fill the prescriptions under the guise of picking them up on behalf of her patients. She was seen on video surveillance in all four locations.

When a December 19, 2019 prescription for 40 Percocet tablets and 20 Clindamycin capsules had not been picked up from the Kingston CVS as of January 2, 2020, a pharmacist contacted the patient, who said he hadn’t been prescribed any medications and lives in Queens.

Letizia attempted to pick up the two prescriptions on January 3. The pharmacist again contacted the patient who again confirmed he was unaware of any prescriptions.

The pharmacist refused to fill the prescriptions because they were not prescribed to Letizia. When Letizia said she was the prescriber and would deliver the prescriptions to the patient, the pharmacist again refused and contacted the state Department of Health Narcotic Enforcement Bureau, according to the complaint.

Letizia was able to pick up prescriptions filled by the other three locations.

State Narcotic Enforcement Bureau investigators visited Letizia’s practice on February 12, when, during an interview, she admitted writing the prescriptions and ordering oxycodone to be delivered to the office for her own consumption.

“They were totally for me. I didn’t, uh, I’m not flooding the streets with narcotics,” Letizia told investigators. “I have a substance abuse problem.”

Investigators reviewed records for the four patients for which the prescriptions were written and found records for one patient did not exist, according to the complaint.

For the other three, investigators found the dental work performed, including teeth cleaning, was not consistent with an oxycodone prescription.

They also found the dates of treatment did not line up with the dates for the prescriptions, “indicating Letizia was using those patient names as a method to obtain oxycodone for her own personal consumption,” the complaint states.