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Former Sloatsburg EMS President Pleads Guilty to Multiple Charges

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4 years ago

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SLOASTBURG, NY – Rockland County District Attorney Tom Walsh announced the plea of guilty on a grand larceny charge of the former president of the Sloatsburg Volunteer Ambulance Corps. The plea brings to a close a months-long, multi- agency investigation into the stealing of funds from the ambulance corps.

Matthew Gannon, 54, of Sloatsburg, NY, appeared before Hon. Larry J Schwartz today, pleaded guilty to grand larceny 2nd (felony). In doing so, Gannon admitted to stealing in excess of $70,000 from the Sloatsburg Volunteer Ambulance Corps. during his tenure as President. Specifically, Gannon admitted to transferring moneys to two of his personal checking accounts in excess of $24,000, and admitted making payments directly from the Sloatsburg Volunteer Ambulance Corps. bank accounts for unauthorized personal expenditures to the following: All-State Insurance in excess of $18,000, Optimum in excess of $13,000, Salve Regina University / First Mark Loan in excess of $10,000, New York Jets in excess of $9,000, State Farm Insurance in excess of $5,000, Lucking Field Hockey in excess of $2,250, ACE Hardware in excess of $1,000, and the University of Albany in excess of $1,000. In exchange for Gannon’s plea of guilty, Judge Schwartz promised to sentence Gannon based on one of the following three scenarios: (1) If Gannon fails to pay back restitution by his sentence date, he will be sentenced to 1-3 years in state prison, (2) if Gannon pays back at least half the restitution by his sentence date, he will be sentenced to one year intermittent in the Rockland County Jail, or (3) if Gannon pays back the entire restitution amount before his sentence date, he will be sentenced to a split sentence of six months intermittent in the Rockland County Jail and five-years probation which will include an undetermined amount of community service. The restitution amount may be up to $79,092.28, and will be paid back to the Town of Ramapo.

At Gannon’s plea, the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office recommended that Judge Schwartz sentence Gannon to an indeterminate term of two to six years in state prison with full restitution. The District Attorney’s Office’s position is based on defendant’s prior conviction for falsifying business records for the Suffern school district, and the fact that the Sloatsburg Volunteer Ambulance Corps. has been shut down due to Gannon’s theft. Judge Schwartz will sentence Gannon on 10/26/2021.

District Attorney Tom Walsh said, “Today’s guilty plea is a direct result of a well-coordinated investigation, by a multitude of law enforcement agencies, from local, county and state levels. We cannot allow persons who oversee the funds of such a vital community program, such as a volunteer ambulance corps, to feel they can steal without consequence.”

The investigation was conducted by Town of Ramapo Police Department, Rockland County District Attorney’s Special Investigation Unit and the NYS attorney General’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Executive Assistant District Attorney Michael Dugandzic and Assistant District Attorney Nicole Garcia

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Crime

Rockland County Court Rejects Convicted Murderer’s Eighth Attempt To Vacate Conviction

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24 hours ago

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March 27, 2025

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Rockland County District Attorney Thomas E. Walsh, II, announced today that, in a decision issued on March 25, 2025, Rockland County Court Judge Kevin F. Russo rejected the latest attempt by convicted murderer Amer Zada to have his conviction vacated. The court noted that this motion is the eighth time Zada has sought to reverse or vacate his conviction.
In 1980, Zada was convicted of the murder of seventeen-year-old Shirley Smith in a Village of Nyack parking lot. He was also convicted of Attempted Sodomy in the First Degree and Aggravated Sexual Abuse as a result of his attack on Ms. Smith. At his trial, Zada was represented by William Kunstler, a world-renowned defense attorney who had gained notoriety for successfully defending many high profile and controversial clients.
In its decision, the court described the defendant’s current motion as being largely based on Zada’s claim that certain documents were not turned over to him prior to trial.
“The court found that Zada had failed to adequately establish this speculative claim as he provided no direct evidence that he had never received the documents. I would like to commend Executive Assistant District Attorney James Dolan for his dedication and professionalism representing the Office in this proceeding.” said District Attorney Tom Walsh.
The court also found that, even assuming that the documents had not been turned over, they were of little importance in the case against Zada and none of them were exculpatory within the meaning of the law. In addition, the court found that Zada’s motion to vacate his conviction raised only minor inconsistencies in the case against him, most of which were thoroughly explored by Mr. Kunstler during the trial. In conclusion, the court found that Zada had not offered anything to justify vacating his conviction.

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Crime

Ramapo Police Officers Arrest 19 Individuals Over The Weekend From DUI to Domestic Violence

Published

3 days ago

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March 25, 2025

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This past weekend, your Ramapo officers were hard at work, making 19 arrests throughout the Town. The breakdown includes:
• 10 arrests for suspended licenses or registrations
• 2 arrests on warrants
• 2 arrests for drunk driving, including one with a child in the car
• 1 arrest for open container
• 1 arrest for a forged inspection sticker
• 2 domestic-related assaults with child endangerment
• 1 arrest for domestic-related criminal mischief
All individuals arrested have been processed and cases handed off to the next step in the criminal justice system. It is important to note that a criminal complaint is an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

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