Defendant pleads guilty to Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree

Defendant to be Sentenced to 9 Years in State Prison

Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced that on Tuesday, November 28, 2017, Frederick L. Blue, 21, of Newburgh, pleaded guilty before Orange County Court Judge Craig Stephen Brown to the armed felony of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, for having possessed a loaded .380 semiautomatic pistol in the City of Newburgh on May 22, 2017.

At the time Blue pleaded guilty, he admitted that he possessed the loaded pistol at about 4:47 PM on May 22, 2017, while he was in the vicinity of Carpenter Street and First Street in the City of Newburgh. Pursuant to a plea agreement, which was placed on the record at the time Blue pleaded guilty, the Court stated that it would sentenced Blue to nine years in state prison and five years post-release supervision when he is sentenced on February 27, 2018. Prosecutors argued that Blue had been carrying the weapon in connection with his being involved in narcotics trafficking. Blue had also been charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fifth Degree, on May 22, 2017, for having possessed cocaine at the same time he possessed the gun.

District Attorney Hoovler thanked the City of Newburgh Police Department for their investigation and the arrest of Blue.

The case is being prosecuted by Chief Assistant District Attorney Christopher P. Borek.

“The narcotics trade inevitably leads to the possession of illegal weapons and violence,” said District Attorney Hoovler. “My office will seek severe prison sentences for anyone who possessed an illegal handgun on our city streets. City residents have the right walk their streets without fear of facing someone with an illegal handgun. I commend the city of Newburgh Police Department for their investigation and apprehension of this defendant.”

A criminal charge is merely an allegation by the police that a defendant has committed a violation of the criminal law, and it is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the State of New York’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.