Boxing club owner pleads guilty in heroin distribution case
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Mid Hudson Times , Wednesday , August 24 , 2016
DEC to lower water levels at Washington Lake
In Brief
Boxing club owner pleads guilty in heroin distribution case
Contractors for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation have begun work to lower water levels at Washington Lake .
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“ All work will be funded by the State Superfund as part of DEC ’ s ongoing response to the PFOS contamination in Lake Washington ,” Brand said .
The City of Newburgh was forced to stop using the lake as a source of drinking water following the discovery of PFOS in the city ’ s water supply in May . High levels of PFOS were found at the Stewart Air National Guard Base , which is connected to the lake by Silver Stream . The DEC declared the air base a state Superfund site on Aug . 12 .
The temporary , granular-activated carbon units planned for installation at the lake use the same technology as a granular-activated carbon system the state will install at the city ’ s water treatment plant , said Brand . The DEC will also install pumps to pump at a rate of at least 3,000 gallons per minute and 3,000 feet of temporary piping to discharge lake water into Silver Stream .
“ This plan is designed to reduce the water levels in Lake Washington to avoid a release of PFOS contaminated water over the spillway and into the Quassaick Creek watershed in the event of an extreme weather event ,” said Brand .
The lowered water levels will also provide “ protection to maintain the structural integrity of the Lake Washington Dam ,” Brand said . “ With the source of PFOS now linked to the Air National Guard Base as a new state Superfund site , DEC is now able to use its authority under State Superfund to expedite and streamline the approval process for this work at Lake Washington .”
Brand said the DEC ’ s designation of the air base as a class-2 state Superfund site identifies the base as “ a potentially responsible party ” for the contamination of the city ’ s public drinking water supply , unlocking “ the full authority and resources of the State Superfund law to ensure expedited site clean-up and provide resources for response actions like this one .”
Branded promised the DEC would maintain close oversight over the project . “ Be assured that we will be monitoring the operation of this system closely , including by taking samples to test for the presence of PFOS and ensuring the system operates appropriately and in a manner protective of public health and the environment ,” he said .
New retailers coming to Route 300
One of the last remaining available parcels of commercial land along the Union Avenue strip in the Town of Newburgh is going to be redeveloped . An old truck depot adjacent to the Newburgh Mall is being razed and the three-acre parcel will make way for a new Mavis Tire retail store and a Buffalo Wild Wings Restaurant .
All town approvals have been granted for the construction to begin , said realtor Richard Lease , who brokered the deal , which may also see a medical facility built on the same parcel in the future .
The Buffalo Wild Wings will be built and operated by the Banta family , which owns three other Wild Wings restaurants – in the Town of Wallkill , Wappingers Falls and Oneonta .
The family business also owns Banta ’ s Steak and Stein , also on Union Avenue , just over the Newburgh Town line in the Town of New Windsor . “ We are talking to people right now about leasing space out , probably tearing the building down and reconfiguring the site ,” he said . Specific details have yet to be worked out .
Orange County District Attorney David M . Hoovler announced that on Monday , August 22 , 2016 , Raymond Rivera , 49 , of Newburgh , the owner of the Newburgh Boxing Club , pleaded guilty to the felony of Conspiracy in the Second Degree . It was alleged that Rivera admitted he was one of the main suppliers of heroin to a drug trafficking organization , which operated and controlled the area of First Street in the City of Newburgh .
At the time he pleaded guilty Rivera admitted to Orange County Court Judge Craig Stephen Brown that he conspired to engage in the sale of more than a half ounce of heroin , which he knew was going to be sold on the streets of the City of Newburgh .
Rivera had been arrested on June 7 , as a result of a
Rivera ten-month-long narcotics investigation , dubbed “ Operation Punch-Out ”, which included the use of wiretaps and other electronic surveillance . On that day , members of the New York State Police Community Narcotics Enforcement Team (“ CNET ”), in conjunction with the City of Newburgh Police Department and the Orange County District Attorney ’ s Office , executed multiple search warrants and made over twenty arrests . Law enforcement officials recovered more than 56 grams of unpackaged heroin , over 1,000 individual packages of heroin , 28 grams of cocaine , over $ 8,000 in U . S . currency , scales , packaging material , cutting agents and a loaded . 45 caliber Highpoint pistol . The street value of the narcotics seized was over $ 18,000 .
Under the terms of the plea agreement , Rivera will receive a sentence of five to fifteen years in state prison when he is sentenced on September 27 , 2016 .
Hoovler thanked the New York State Police CNET and the City of Newburgh Police Department for their efforts in this investigation . District Attorney Hoovler highly commended CNET for their investigation , given the complexity of the case .
Assistant District Attorneys Neal Eriksen and Kerry Kolek assisted in the investigation of the case and are prosecuting all of the defendants charged in the operation , including Rivera .
“ It is particularly disappointing when it is discovered that respected community figures , who could have served as role models , succumb to the allure of quick narcotics profits ,” said Hoovler . “ This narcotics investigation , ‘ Operation Punch- Out ,’ and the recent ‘ Operation Chopper ’ narcotics investigation , demonstrate the prevalence and sophistication of narcotics trafficking operations in Orange County . These organizations can only be disrupted through the use of electronic surveillance , used in the context of long-term , multi-agency investigations . “