NORWICH – Convicted cocaine dealer Michael A. Victor Jr. was sentenced to 39 years in state prison Friday on felony charges of narcotics and weapons possession and conspiracy, the culmination of a police investigation which began in January of 2009.
Chenango County District Attorney Joseph McBride said he was very happy with the judge’s decision and hoped it would send a message to any other individuals with thoughts of bringing drugs with the intent to sell into the county.
“Mr. Victor was a big problem in our area ... not only did he live off the distribution of narcotics in our area, but people purchasing his products committed numerous crimes to pay for his cocaine,” added McBride. “Not only is it an appropriate punishment for Mr. Victor, but it will serve as a message to those outside of our community that, as a result of that business, you will go to state prison.”
In September, a Chenango County jury found Victor guilty on all 10 of the drug, weapons and conspiracy counts included in his 2009 felony indictment. A combined, concurrent sentence for the criminal possession, criminal possession with the intent to sell, conspiracy and the multiple weapons charges brought against Victor would have sent the convicted drug dealer to prison for a total of 41 years, reported the district attorney, a sentence he asked Judge W. Howard Sullivan to consider.
“Judge, I’d ask the court to contemplate and to give this gentleman 41 years in prison so the word gets out that, if you come to Chenango County and deal drugs from another area and, if you’re going to bring guns and violence and all of the other crimes that are associated with drug use into our area, then you will be punished severely by this court,” stated McBride. “We’re lucky that the guns here were not used in violence against anyone else ... we’re lucky no one was actually killed, that we know of, in connection with this case.”
According to McBride, Victor was “not only in the business of selling cocaine, he was very proficient at it,” having more than $10,000 in cash on his person at the time of his arrest.
“Judge, this defendant is not from our area. He came to our area to deal drugs ... he dealt a lot of drugs,” said McBride prior to Victor’s sentencing.
Defense attorney Paul Battisti said Victor’s story began in 1982 with his birth in Haiti. At the age of five, he added, Victor lawfully entered the United States with his parents, brothers and sisters. It was at that time, said Battisti, that Victor was taken from his home, separated from his family and first became a victim.
“For the next 10 years, Mr. Victor found himself in and out of various homes, group homes ... special housing,” stated Battisti. “Throughout this, Mr. Victor developed a significant addiction to marijuana, an addiction that’s present today.”
According to his attorney, Victor has simply been “in the wrong place at the wrong time,” since he first arrived in Norwich in December of 2008 and began associating with the Jenkins family. In September, Victor’s ex-girlfriend Curissa Jenkins – a co-defendant in the case – agreed to testify against Victor in exchange for a reduced sentence in a negotiated plea deal.
“Unbeknownst to Mr. Victor, the Jenkins family has a long record, history, of illegal acts specifically centered upon substance abuse,” stated Battisti. “As a result, there is an on-going investigation. Once again, Mr. Victor is in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Victor, added his attorney, is not only a defendant.
“Mr. Victor is a son. Mr. Victor is a brother. Mr. Victor is a grandson. And Mr. Victor is a father,” said Battisti. “Mr. Victor is not a marketing marquee. He’s not going to be a scapegoat. We’re not going to use him so that we can market and advertise that you don’t commit crimes in Norwich. We’re here to sentence Mr. Victor consistent with what New York State tells us to do.”
An opportunity to make a statement on his own behalf was declined by the defendant prior to his sentencing.
Judge Sullivan said that – while Victor’s attorney had done his best to garner sympathy for his client – the convicted cocaine dealer had continued to deflect what he’d done on to others.
“Again, that doesn’t give me a warm, fuzzy feeling ... that you have any intention of ever changing who you are or what you are or what you did,” added Sullivan. “There is no remorse ... I think that you are a danger to society. You’re a danger to the people in the state, no matter where you are. And if, from wherever that you came from before you came to Norwich, what you’re doing is part of everyday life and the sentences are minimal, that’s what they do. It’s not the same thing here.”
According to Sullivan, Victor was the “kingpin” in the Chenango County area.
“You’re the one that’s the faucet that turned it on here in Chenango County,” stated the judge. “You’re the one who made it happen here in Chenango County ... you have all that responsibility on you, sir. And not one bit of remorse, not one bit of mea culpa.”