FENTANYL DEALER SENTENCED TO STATE PRISON
Kingston, NY—On February 8, 2024, the Honorable James Farrell sentenced Corena Kelley, age 29, of Kingston, NY to six years in prison with two years’ post release supervision along with an indeterminate term of one and one third to four years in prison, to run consecutively. The sentence follows her convictions for criminal possession of fentanyl with the intent to sell it, two counts of criminal possession of a firearm, and two misdemeanors following a three-day jury trial last Fall.
The conviction stemmed from a search warrant executed on December 16, 2021, at the defendant’s apartment where she lived with her nine-month-old child at 180 Broadway in Port Ewen, as well as her vehicle. The New York State Police recovered ten grams of fentanyl along with thousands of dollars in cash, two loaded pistols—one without a serial number—as well as digital scales and narcotics packaging materials. The defendant was present in the apartment during the search. The Ulster County District Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case in close collaboration with the Violent Gangs Narcotics Enforcement Team (VGNET) of the New York State Police.
Judge James Farrell presided over the trial and was fully familiar with the facts and circumstances of the case, including other information which was not presented to the jury; he noted that it was necessary to hold her accountable for her own actions.
District Attorney Emmanuel Nneji thanked the State Police investigators for the painstaking and tedious work of the investigation: “Their work and commitment are necessary to deal with, and hopefully curtail, the opioid deaths and overdoses we have experienced in Ulster County. Ms. Kelley was not selling to support a drug habit; she was not a small curbside re-seller trying to make a buck; she was selling as a business with her thousands of dollars in proceeds wrapped in envelopes and stashed in her home and car. She had thousands of doses of deadly Fentanyl waiting to be sold, being fully aware like everyone else, of the damage done by her poison to this community and others across the state. As if it were not bad enough, she had two loaded illegal handguns, one of which was not traceable. Illegal loaded firearms are the other side of her deadly coin – Fentanyl on one side, loaded firearms on the other. Ms. Kelley presents a double threat to the community. I hope her sentence sends a clear message that such conduct is not okay around here.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Sohil Sharedalal and Assistant District Attorney Kristen Druse of the Gun Violence Unit. The defendant was represented by Attorney Jake Kim of Orange County, NY.
If you or a loved one is dealing with substance use disorder of any kind, the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office Opioid Response as County Law Enforcement (ORACLE) Initiative is nationally recognized in treating substance use disorder without judgment and provides a community response.
The ORACLE hotline is (888) 996-0940 and can be emailed at oracle[at]co.ulster.ny[dot]us
