Pubdate: Tue, 16 Jul 2002
Source: Ithaca Journal, The (NY)
Copyright: 2002, The Ithaca Journal
Contact: http://www.theithacajournal.com/news/letters.html
Website: http://www.theithacajournal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1098
Author: Associated Press
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/corrupt.htm (Corruption - United States)

EX-SHERIFF PLEADS GUILTY IN THEFT

AUBURN -- Three months after withdrawing his first guilty plea, former 
Cayuga County Sheriff Peter Pinckney admitted in county court again on 
Monday that he stole $4,000 in drug task force funds and used county 
employees for personal jobs at his home.

Pinckney, 57, of Fleming, pleaded guilty to third-degree grand larceny, 
first-degree offering a false instrument and defrauding the government. The 
former sheriff, who held the office for 10 years, will be sentenced Aug. 23 
and could face up to seven years in prison.

Judge Stephen Sirkin asked Pinckney if he understood there was no condition 
to the guilty plea, that the sentence could be "everything from a 
conditional discharge, probation, county jail, electronic home monitor or 
state prison." Pinckney said he understood.

Defense attorney James McGraw said later that his client doesn't deserve 
prison time and speculated Sirkin wouldn't sentence him to incarceration.

"We have every belief that the judge will do the right thing," McGraw told 
The Citizen in Auburn. "There'll be no jail."

"He's prepared for whatever happens," McGraw added. "If he's sent to jail, 
he'll go to jail. There's not much he can do about it."

In April, Pinckney withdrew guilty pleas on the same charges after another 
judge was going to sentence him to 60 days in jail, saying he would rather 
take his chances going to trial than do the jail time.

State prosecutor James Mindell of the Attorney General's office told the 
newspaper that he will recommend "substantial jail time" because Pinckney 
was working for the public as a sheriff. Mindell said greed leads most 
people to steal, and it may have led Pinckney to take money from the Finger 
Lakes Drug Task Force.
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